Once In a Blue Noon
by reindeer sausage
Summary: When a regretable decision is made, one woman is forced to live a life doomed from the very start. Her fate seems inevitable, until a familiar villian steps onto the scene... Please Read & Review. UPDATED. Rating may change back again.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams would I ever own Dragonball Z. It'd be a damn good dream, too.

* * *

Prologue 

She had a name, she knew she did. It was sure to come back to her soon.

What had happened? She tried to remember. Nothing is all her mind returned. She stood, head pounding viciously. She tried to recall where she was before the darkness had consumed her. She remembered.

That's funny, the last time she checked she was dead. The other world, such a heavenly place. Although she supposed it's what she expected from, well, heaven. This place, cold and lonely. Certainly not where she had been when she was last awake. Had she returned to life? A miracle.

She tried to remember how she had died. Odd, she couldn't. She tried to remember her life before she died. She couldn't do that either. She tried to recall the man she had loved for thousands of years. The sole being of whom her affections belonged to. Her memory of him had slipped too. Every detail of the one she loved. She couldn't remeber him at all, but something in the back of her mind told her he did exist. She wanted to find him. For a moment she didn't care where she was, she just wanted to be with a man she couldn't even remember. Strange, she hadn't felt like that before. Or at least, she didn't think she did...

She didn't know even what she was now, although she was sure her species didn't have a tail before she died. She stretched her wings with a frustrated expression planted firmly upon her face. She had no idea how she had gotten to this planet, or what planet she was on. It wasn't her beautiful home that is for sure. Good, a memory. Her home was beautiful. But that was about all her brain was letting her know. The downpour of a sorrowful frown quickly washed the brief smile she had shone away. The fact that her home was beautiful only made her want to get back there. Get back to him,whoever he was.But how was that going to happen if she couldn't even remember where the hell she lived. She rubbed a troubled brow with a deceivingly youthful looking hand. She felt as though a rapidly progressing elephant had just hit her. The pain in her head tripled from thinking. 'Followed by three dinosaurs and a dragon.' she thought drowsily. She felt…drunk? No, she didn't even know what that felt like. Although her memory seemed to back that particular feeling up. She was just glad she wasn't naked.

Upon that thought she looked down at her feet. A pair of deep purple boots held toes wiggling back at her. This must be how her kind dress. She took a few hesitant steps to where a deep lake sloshed against the banks confining it to its place. She looked down at the reflection wobbling slightly along the dark water's surface. She stared into a pair of unfamiliar eyes of a dark green, almost black. They were deep and beautiful, although she would never admit that. Full of expression, kind, gentle, but at this point in time, held unconcealed sadness and absolute confusion within their darkly outlined boundaries.

As she stared at her clothing, she noticed her earrings and smiled. She really liked them. She felt they had some connection with her now mysterious past. In each earlobe was a dangling chain of three links, leading down to a large round, shiny stone as red as a blood ruby. If light had been present, these oddly pleasing earrings would have glistened like sun upon water. Her eyes traced up from her lobe to the main of her ear, and up to its pointy end. Her eyes widened at the size of them. Although big, they were still beautiful and delicate. She listened intensely with them, and heard noises she did not recognize coming from miles away. As much as she was frightened by these strange sounds, she was impressed by how accurate her acute hearing was.

She faced her reflection once again. As she studied her attire carefully, she noticed something on the opposite ear as to the one she was inspecting a few seconds ago. She recognized the dragon imprinted on it immediately. So her memory had not completely gone. But what did her close friend have to do with this? She closed her eyes. She could not remember the dragon's name. Speaking of names…she thought hard for a good few minutes or so, but not much passed through her mind. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and stared back at her reflection. The reflection knew it as much as she did.

Noon…her name was Noon.

That was her name, but in the back of her mind she knew that wasn't what people called her. The only person who did was…him. This little recollection did not make much sense to her right now, but a name was a name, and hers was Noon.

The sound of soft, but dark laughter behind her stopped her train of thought and almost her heart for a moment. The enormous ki she was sensing was not only pure evil, but frighteningly familiar. She turned around and her widened eyes locked onto two blood red pits. As soon as she saw the dragon, his oily dark blue scales, and his evil smoking grin, for the first time since she had woken up, Noon knew she had been brought here for a reason.

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	2. The Decision

Chapter 1 – The Decision

The new day was a fresh one upon Earth. The sun had risen happily, the mountainous caverns casting huge shadows over the trees and other various plant life that had the fortune to grow in these particular beautiful areas of the planet. A place where dinosaurs roamed freely away from its main inhabitants-the humans. The nearest city was miles away from this area. This city was soon to be blessed with the sight of two bright lights lingering over it, heading in its direction like two falling stars. The third light had drifted from them not two seconds ago, and due to the incapability of the driver, this particular space pod landed in the mountainous region miles away from the city.

-----

Piccolo knew they were here. Here already. They were early, but he was as ready as he was ever going to be. He looked at Gohan. The young boy seemed curious, and somewhat nervous. The boy knew. He was young, and he did not know how to sense a beings' ki properly and accurately, but he could sense that it was very possible that the two they had been training to defeat had landed. Over the initial shock of them arriving early, Piccolo concentrated hard only to find a city easily destroyed by a terrific force. There was no doubt about it. They had arrived.

The Saiyans had landed.

-----

As soon as she had touched down, Noon realized immediately that she had landed in the wrong place. It had been a fairly soft landing though considering the circumstances. Knowing the other two were miles away, she thought she ought to keep her ki concealed. She didn't want to be discovered this early in the day. The lack of sudden stranger appearances told her that she was safely hidden. She crossed her arms over her armored chest. Purple embroidered cream gloves and boots matched her cream chest plate. This Saiyan armor made her feel so uncomfortable. She stretched her arms out in front of her and allowed her wings to open up to there fullest behind her. Looking around, she noticed how full of life Earth was, especially compared to planet Arlia.

A few steps along and she were still once again. She looked up a tree she had found herself next to, and although awe inspired by its beauty, she couldn't help but give it a distasteful look. This tree was very tall. And compared to Noon, it appeared gigantic. Noon was not the tallest of creatures. Although delicate and agile, she was rather short. She smiled up at it. She never held a grudge against anything. She loved all life.

Moving on from the tree, she continued to look around and continued to walk about the area. The caverns made her look even smaller, but she looked on with interest. In a strange way, planet Earth reminded her of her home planet. She did not want it destroyed.

It was not long before Noon came across a strange object beside a small trickling river. It wasn't too big an object, but it looked battered, old, and charred. Picking it up, she inspected it thoroughly. Noon wasn't a genius, but her smarts were well above average. She came to the conclusion that this object, this piece of odd metal, was something from a spacecraft. A spacecraft similar to her own. If not the same. That thought in mind, she looked for more pieces. A dozen charred bits and pieces later and she found what she needed to prove her assumptions correct. She found the remains of a Saiyan space pod. Recently destroyed. As soon as she saw it, she remembered the decision she made years ago, knowing that Saiyan baby would be so much different from the rest.

-----

"Woman! WOMAN!"

"Yes Vegeta, what do you want this time?"

"You insolent woman, how dare you speak to me, prince of all Saiyans like that when you are a useless, worthless…thing that appeared to have crawled out of the ocean."

"If I am so useless, then why is it you need me so desperately Prince?"

Vegeta scowled up at the woman in front of him. He was only young, but he was almost as tall as Noon.

"I need new clothes…now!"

"I would watch my mouth if I were you, young Vegeta." She scowled down at him; "You won't get anything out of anyone, especially me if you demand here and there."

Vegeta looked away from her, a sour face clearly visible. His eyes shifted onto the lizard sat upon her left shoulder watching him closely through yellow eyes, a black and red tail swaying down her back and round over her shoulder. It was not a normal lizard. Although it could not fly, tiny leathery wings protruded out of its back. An odd creature, but an interesting one. Its body and wings were of black scales.

"You know me Vegeta." Her look softened slightly, "and I know you. I don't expect you to be polite. Kami, I don't even think that's possible!" She laughed lightly and Vegeta looked away from the lizard to her. "But you have to at least ask…in some way."

"Can I have new clothes…now?"

Noon laughed. "Well, that will have to do."

She pointed her finger at him, and new clothes appeared on Vegeta, replacing the battered and torn ones that had only just survived training.

"Will that do…Prince?" She added with a smile.

"Yes it will do I suppose."

"Well you know you could have just got some new clothes from in there." She pointed her thumb behind her to a storeroom. Vegeta just held his bitter expression. Noon's clothes were always the best, the comfiest, and seemed to last twice as long although he would never admit it. After a moments silence,

Noon turned to walk away, as did Vegeta.

" Oh and Prince…" He turned to look at her back. "Don't let me catch you talking to me like that again, understand?" She turned her head and met his eye. "And don't let Frieza catch you, he will have your head. I would like a little respect from you once in a while…_Prince Vegeta_." Her face deathly serious, she turned once again to leave.

"Why should I?" Noon stopped. "You may have a Saiyan tail, but you are certainly no Saiyan."

Noon didn't bother turning around.

"Yes Prince that is true, but if I am not mistaken, you seem to give a certain amount of respect to _Lord _Frieza, and he is certainly no Saiyan. So do not give me that! Do you understand? I give you my respect and I expect yours in return."

Vegeta, sour face in place, bowed to her back.

"Yes Ma'am."

Noon turned, and bowed to him.

"Thank you Prince." She said with a beaming smile. "Oh, and you will need this." Pointing her finger once again, a scouter appeared at Vegeta's face. For the first time since Vegeta had called to her, a positive expression came to his face.

"Thanks, that was the eighth one I've broken this week. I shouldn't even train with it on I suppose."

"No probs," She replied grinning at his smirk, "Frieza will be sending Zarbon and Dodoria round this place soon, so you need one. I had better go, Frieza will want me back in his quadrant, I think he wants to talk."

She turned again to leave, but Vegeta cut her off.

"He only favors you because you aren't Saiyan, or at least full blooded, and you are the only female I think on this whole damned planet. Plus, he even gave his pet lizard to you." He pointed at the lizard now sprawled lazily on her shoulder.

"Well Yes, I am the only female. Frieza shares his opinion of women with you, Vegeta. He thinks men are the better warriors. And yes, I think he likes the fact that I am not of full Saiyan blood, but still possess the power, and the tail of one. Pukka however chose to stay with me, he is now my companion and friend, not a pet." She indicated to the lizard. Then thought for a second before continuing, and her face became serious again. "Take any chance you get to go on an assignment, away from this planet and keep away from Planet Vegeta. I fear for the worst Prince. Frieza doesn't seem to favor Saiyans, as you have noticed with his behavior around me. In fact, why don't you come with me now and ask for one? Besides, you must be bored out of your skull right?"

-----

For the short walk along the winding corridor of Frieza's particular quadrant, both Noon and Vegeta were silent. It was usually this way between them. In a way, it was a love/hate situation, with a distinct lack of love. Noon hated the Saiyans for what they did. Space pirates serving a universal tyrant. She particularly disliked Vegeta's temperament and lack of self-control. She was concerned with his bloodthirsty behavior. As it was, most Saiyans seemed to have a thirst for battle, but the young prince had shown it much more providently, even at his young age.

Vegeta watched Noon's back as they walked. Vegeta disliked Noon considerably. Her loyalty to her place beside Frieza, the way she was more powerful than himself, and how influential and persuasive amongst other people she was. She used her position on the planet to her own advantage, which is a trait mostly used against him. But in a way, Vegeta respected her authority even if it seems grudgingly. He appreciated the help she consistently gave him to survive in such a dangerous and quite frankly boring world. What Vegeta seemed to admire the most about her was that she was actually the most interesting being on the planet. She stopped him from being bored constantly, and made sure he kept out of trouble with Frieza.

As they reached the door to Frieza's main chamber, Noon turned to look at Vegeta briefly. She knew he would leave, and quite frankly she was glad. But in a way it would probably be very dull without him. Other than Frieza, Vegeta was the only person on the planet who spoke to her other than talking business. Quite frankly, she hated the thought of having Frieza alone as her company. She might try and move away, but he would only move her somewhere in his family. He might move her to Cooler, or worse, his father.

Her ears picked something up from behind the door, and her faced morphed into concern.

"On second thoughts, I think you should go find Nappa. He will have been waiting for you after your training. Go find Nappa, then come back here. Understand?"

After a curious and sour look, the young Prince stormed off back down the corridor.

Just inside the door, Frieza and his two henchmen Zarbon and Dodoria were discussing something very important about the Saiyans. Noon had sent Vegeta away, hoping to catch the conversation. It had already begun, and she didn't want to miss anymore. It seemed to be about a planet recently taken.

"Bah! No low levels could take Kanasa, no these are standouts. The Saiyans are quickly becoming our best fighters, am I right?"

"Yes Dodoria. Without a doubt. They're much stronger now, it's amazing. In a small group on a full moon there're hard to beat."

"What? Are you scared of them Zarbon?"

"No, certainly not. I just think we should keep an eye on them, that's all. Like this Bardock who led the assault on the Kanasans, what if he and his group teamed up with young Vegeta and a handful of other great fighters, how would you like to tangle with that bunch on a full moon Dodoria?"

"Heh heh heh, only a fool would welcome that scenario." It was Frieza's voice now. Cold and sly, creeping through the door to Noon's ears. She didn't like where this conversation was heading. And what did her good friend Bardock have to do with it?

Before she knew it, a blur of Vegeta had flashed before her eyes, and stormed right into the room where the three were talking.

'Oh Vegeta! What an idiot! I just hope he keeps courteous.'

"Prince Vegeta! What do you think you're doing?"

"Frieza didn't send for you kid! You know no-one sees Lord Frieza unless he calls them first!"

Noon was silently praying on the other side of the door.

"Look! I'm bored! This is lame! I need an assignment!"

Noon placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh Kami…" She didn't want to listen to the rest, so she closed her eyes, slipping into a sort of semi-consciousness to keep her hearing at bay, arms folded, until the door opened again not two minutes later.

"You might want to mind your manners a little better though." Frieza's voice calling through the open door alerted her.

"Sire." Vegeta left, and Noon stuck her thumb up. Then mouthed something to him.

"Might meet you later, ok?"

With a nod Vegeta turned and left, and Noon watched him walk swiftly around the corner.

"Do come in my dear." Frieza's voice called to her.

Noon walked swiftly through the door trying to force down the uncomfortable knot in her stomach.

"You asked to see me Sire." She was stood firmly to attention, and awaited his reply patiently. After a moment, Frieza spoke.

"Yes my dear, thank you for coming so quickly. Zarbon! Dodoria! Leave us at once!"

"Yes sire." The two exchanged glances, then left Noon and Frieza alone.

As soon as the door had closed, Frieza stood, and turned to look at Noon for the first time. She was stood stock-still.

"Relax." He drawled lazily. Noon resumed her usual stance, arms folded across her chest. Frieza moved to stand directly in front of her. He was just as short as she was. They were of equal height. Noon always felt uneasy around Frieza. He crept around her a lot, especially when they were alone. He moved close to her, swaying his tail enthusiastically.

"Now then my dear, how was your day?" His voice was casual for now, trying to coax her into conversation.

"Fine sire, but the same as usual."

"Well then my dear, allow me to make things more interesting. Do you have anything planned say, tomorrow?" his tone became low and sly. She recognized it too well.

"Not anything at the moment Sir, but…"

"Please, just call me Frieza, we are not talking business you know."

"Well erm…ok…Frieza, I don't have anything planned right now at the moment but…"

"Ah good! Then you won't be too busy to join me for dinner tomorrow night, am I right?"

"Well Sir, um sorry, Frieza, I do have a little business to take care of on another planet so um…"

"But I insist my dear." Frieza pressed on, "Besides, I have a little business to take care of myself."

Noon knew there was very little chance Frieza would let her out of his sight to travel to another planet. Unless…she thought for a moment before changing her tactics, and her tone of voice.

"Of course…" She moved close to him, and lowered her voice to little above a whisper, "I would just _love _to come to dinner with you. Just the two of us?"

"Yes but of course my dear, if that is what you want." His voice had lowered also, and his face was as serious and intense as hers was.

"Good. Very good" She whispered slowly into his ear. "That is just the way I like it."

"So it is set. I do hope it will be worth my while."

"You shall not be disappointed, and I also hope to be satisfied." She brushed her lips against his ear gently, and felt him weakening instantly. She took her chance.

"So, I will leave early tomorrow with your permission?"

"Certainly, as long as you return."

Noon nodded.

"You shall return by the end of the day. Oh, and wear the best clothes you have. After all, this is a very _special _occasion."

"As you wish _my_ Lord." She waited for him to speak, and didn't see the reaction on his face. "Until then…" She waved with two fingers then left, hips swaying, tail swishing, leaving Frieza staring after her. The door closed, and he was completely silent and still for a second. A satisfied smirk played across his face as he sat back down. His mind replaying the events of that night, and planning the ones of tomorrows.

"Forget early tomorrow, I'm outta here now!" Noon ran down the corridor, hardly believing her plan had worked. She wanted out, now. And wasn't planning to keep her dinner schedule with the lustful tyrant. She quickly maneuvered herself into the main hanger of that quadrant and jumped into one of the Saiyan space pods. She typed the co-ordinates and she was soon off towards Planet Vegeta, hoping Frieza didn't find out where she was heading.

-----

When Noon landed on Planet Vegeta, it was already morning. She had little time. Her fears were getting to her. She knew Bardock's son had been born, and knew also that he was in great danger.

As soon as she had landed, she was off to the medical room, but was stopped half way be none other than Bardock's crew. When they saw Noon walking towards them, a look of surprise rippled through each of them when they realized who she was. Tora, a tall, broad Saiyan, was Bardock's best friend. Noon knew him well. When they stopped across from each other, Tora stood straight and bowed deeply.

"Commander Noon, so good to see you again Ma'am."

"Likewise Tora my friend, please, just call me Noon."

"As you wish. I hear you are based at Frieza's own quadrant, is that correct?"

"It is correct. You are heading for your next assignment, I assume." She looked round the group. "Without Bardock?"

"That's right. He got a little messed up on our last assignment. He's in the re-abilitation chamber as we speak."

"I see. And which planet exactly are you heading off to?"

"We're off to planet Meat. Frieza himself has given us the order."

Noon smiled. "Well I suppose you had better be on your way. Frieza himself huh? Well he never told me about sending top class soldiers like yourselves out today." She winked, and Tora smiled along with the rest of the crew. Each passed her, and she waved to them as they did so.

Noon watched the crew pass down the corridor, then ran down the corridor the opposite way. When Noon was in a hurry, she really was. She possessed incredible speed. No other creature alive could travel as fast as she could, whether it was flying, swimming, jumping from one place to another, or just plain running. Noon's theory behind it was that when she trained, she focused on keeping her strength within, rather than building up the muscles. Bulky muscles meant slow work. This theory of Noon's was not shared with others. They would not accept her help. This meant that effectively Noon was very powerful, and had the speed to use it. As far as she was concerned, what was the point of having power, and not being able to catch your opponent to use it against them? She did have a muscular body, but not a body that showed masculinity. Her emerald green spandex suit stuck to her figure religiously, and showed anyone looking, her tones were…perfect?

Maybe not...she was rather squat.

She reached the medical center within a point of a second, and appeared abruptly beside Blenthor, the aged medic. She knew him well, and he had been expecting Noon since the arrival of Bardock's son. She looked at her friend and sighed.

"How is he Malaka?" She asked the other medic in the room.

"Well, physically, he is absolutely fine, but mentally I'm not so sure."

"Mentally?"

"Yes commander, the last mission he and his crew were sent on, something must have happened. What worries me is that they were fighting on planet Kanasa."

"Kanasa? Yes of course! Frieza! No wonder he wanted it so soon, you are supposed to inherit psychic powers if you live there. I don't believe it personally. You can't just inherit powers by living…"

"Whoa!" It was Malaka, and something showing up on the scanner was worrying him.

Noon looked at Bardock. His face was scrunched up, looking seriously troubled. Bubbles were flowing from his mask. Something was wrong.

"Blenthor! Get him out of there, something serious is going on!"

Blenthor pushed a button on the side of the tank, and the water drained out, letting it open.

"What happened Bardock?"

"I don't know." He stepped out of the chamber.

"It was like I was having a dream, but I wasn't asleep." He saw Noon stood arms folded across from him. She made sure he was dry, then gave him new clothes to cover his naked body.

"Well, thank you very much _commander_." He said with a slight smile.

"You're welcome Bardock. Now then, I didn't just come down here to give you new clothes. I wanted to ask you about your son."

"There is nothing you can ask me, I haven't met him, I don't know anything about him." Noon frowned, and unfolded her arms.

"You know they're going to send him away, right?"

"Exactly. What's the point in getting attached?" Noon shook her head, and closed her eyes.

"I just think it's for the best, that's all. Listen, it's your choice, I'm just advising you. This could be the last chance you get." She paused, unsure how to word the next bit. "And…well…I'll be leaving once my work has been done here…so, this will probably be our last meeting Bardock."

"I'm sorry to hear that Noon, you've been a good friend." He held out his hand, and she took it, smiling. A heavy silence fell between them.

"I think it would be best if you took it easy for a while, Bardock." It was Blenthor, but Bardock wasn't really listening.

"Well I wouldn't know, I'm not wise."

"Oh, I think you're wise. How else could you come back from all these assignments and still be alive?"

"I know how to fight, that's all. It doesn't take a whole lot of brains to know how to fight. Speaking of which, where's Tora? I thought I heard him in here not long ago."

"You and your crew were ordered to go to Planet Meat by Frieza himself."

"Frieza! So, we're finally getting the recognition we deserve! And those bums go off without me!" With a last smile at Noon, he had taken off down the corridor.

"No Bardock you need to rest!"

"That man is just totally crazy." Noon shook her head.

"Well, that's Bardock for you! Now, could you tell me where the new-born babies are please Blenthor?"

"Well…um…I'll catch you later kid."

"_Wait! You have come seeking psychic powers, well I have given them to you, Bardock."_

A planet being destroyed

"Kakkarot huh? You see it too somehow don't you? Humph. Only an average power level. And I thought you were special." Bardock exited, leaving his son crying alone.

Noon was walking slowly. Not something she was usually accustomed to, but something was plaguing her mind. Bugging her, gnawing away at her. Something was strangely familiar about the assignment Bardock and his crew had been sent on. If only she could put her finger on it… Nope. Wasn't going to come to her sometime soon.

She looked through the viewing glass at the Saiyan babies, most of whom were sound asleep. All but one, who was bawling his lungs out.

"Kakkarot huh? Yes, you must be Bardock's son. You look just like him. Not at all like your brother." She went through the side entrance and into the room. She went to where Kakkarot was, and picked him up. Immediately, he stopped crying, looking at the only woman to have paid any attention to him since he had been born.

"Well hello there Kakkarot, aren't you a little cutie, yes you are." Kakkarot began to laugh. His happy sounds were spurring Noon on.

"Yes, that's right, you're gonna be a big strong boy aren't you?" Kakkarot reached out and patted Noon's cheeks laughing. Noon laughed also and positioned him relaxing in his arms. Within moments he was sleeping soundlessly, nestled between her breasts looking rather comfortable.

"Typical." She placed him back down on his capsule. "Your big strong daddy's gone on a very important assignment to Planet Meat today." Noon stopped to think for a minute. "That's so strange. I thought Frieza took that planet over 100 years ago. The inhabitants are still alive?Maybe he sent them to finish the job." Noon didn't believe her words. She knew Freiza well enough. "That makes no sense whatsoever. Somehow, I don't think he sent them for special training." She stared blankly ahead of her. "Not for Bardock's crew anyway." A thought struck up in her head, and she didn't like it. "Oh no… Frieza, what are you up to?" In a sudden movement as she continued to think, she took Kakarot and careful not to wake him, walked quickly down the corridor.

-----

Take-off bay 852 was empty. This was the bay where they sent the Saiyan babies to planets. Noon hurried over to the two operators, and handed one of them Kakkarot. "This Saiyan baby needs to be sent from this planet immediately!"

"Certainly. Right away Ma'am!" One of the men took Kakkarot away, whilst the other prepared the pod. Noon suddenly felt empty. She had enjoyed her time, although short with Kakkarot. He had reminded her how much she wanted one of her own.

"So, Kakkarot huh? And where are they sending you little guy?"

"Some place called E-arth."

"E-arth? Look Kakkarot, we don't name them we just send you there little buddy. This pod is ago!"

Noon watched the hatch close and the pod blasted off, and away from the planet.

One of the men approached her.

"Pardon me Ma'am, but was he a relative of yours?"

"No, just a friend."

"Do you think he'll be good at destroying the race there?"

This question shocked Noon slightly, but she just smiled. The Saiyan man just took this as a yes although secretly, she didn't think this Saiyan would be like the others. Not a blood thirsty tyrant, but an honorable warrior, perhaps even a hero, with the power to protect the innocent from evil like Frieza. Speaking of which…no, she would stay here and do her work. Frieza wouldn't think she was here. He thought she hated the Saiyans. She could stay here and he would never find her. But there were just some things that needed sorting out. Questions that needed answering.

The other man walked up to her, a salute in place.

"Commander Noon Ma'am, you space pod is ready for take off."

"Pardon?"

"Your pod Ma'am. We assumed you were leaving too. Would you like us to cancel the departure Ma'am?"

Noon thought very carefully. If she stayed, she could help her friends in the medi-center, and Frieza would never think to look here. It was a very good idea, but her conscious was nagging at her. She wanted to know what Frieza was up to…and there was always that dinner arrangement…she always hated going against her work, teaming up with her curiosity. It was a hard decision to make.

"Ma'am?" Noon looked at the man, then made a decision that would change the course of her future.

"No, don't cancel it. I'll go."

Dinner plans were set, and Noon intended on meeting them.


	3. Friend or Foe?

A/N: Thse next couple of chapters are sort of 'filling in' and leading the way to the interesting part. I promise things will get better. Probably around chapter 5. Thanks for the reviews! The ones I recieved spurred me on a little!

* * *

Chapter 2 – Friend or Foe?

Noon stood still, looking at the wreckage in front of her. She was contemplating about what might have become of her if she had not have left the planet then. She was glad she sent Kakkarot when she did, otherwise he would have died along with the rest of the Saiyans when Planet Vegeta was destroyed. She wondered what had become of Kakkarot. She had predicted great things about him. Little did she know how true those predictions became. She clicked her scouter, and discovered with no great surprise that the race that populated the planet was still alive.

Pukka jumped from her shoulder, and began to sniff and scurry across the grass. Noon smiled as she watched him happily run around on the lush ground. Pukka had never seen such a planet in his bringing up with Frieza, and it was a great new experience for him. He sniffed round back to Noon's feet and rubbed his head against her before bounding off again. He loved Noon greatly, she was like a mother, and looked after him with everything she had. He had chosen to go with her, to be her companion wherever she went, and he relished in her company.

Although an unusual creature, Pukka could not talk. His kinds' way of communicating was a noise that sounded very much like squeaking. Noon found it absolutely adorable, and Pukka had concentrated hard on making it almost understandable. He reserved this for Noon only of course, and she had been doing very well in interpreting it so far. He ran back to Noon and climbed onto her foot, sprawling on it lazily. He basked in the sunlight for a moment before Noon twitched uneasily very suddenly.

"Something's happened. I think the other two may have been fighting for a while." She looked worried, and before Pukka knew it, he was picked up round the middle, and with a high-pitched squeak from him, Noon had taken off towards where her flashing scouter was directing. The three power levels she detected earlier, she noticed had left a little while ago, and were at the scene at which she was racing to.

-----

She arrived quickly at where her scouter had told her, and watched from a cliff nearby as she tried to sum up what may have happened already. Her scouter had detected three power levels disappearing, and by the clear sight of Vegeta and Nappa, it was them who had done the deed. As well as the two of them, there was a small boy, who couldn't be any older than 6 years old, a short bald man who looked rather nervous, and a very tall man with green skin and antennae's. She watched for a few moments before her anger began to boil, and her energy rose slightly.

The three Noon didn't know detected it before the Saiyans' scouters did, and they looked around hesitantly. Vegeta's scouter blipped and he looked to where Noon was stood straight, arms folded across her chest, looking rather furious. The green man's eyes widened as he looked at her uniform. It was similar to Vegeta's, but her chest plate had no guards protruding from the shoulders or down her front or sides. The plate had one strap across the shoulder Pukka wasn't sitting on. A tail waved vigorously behind her, sparse grey feathers formed small beautiful wings on her back. Her emerald green spandex suit stuck tightly to her, making her feeling very uncomfortable, whereas Vegeta's was blue. Despite differences, it was unmistakably Saiyan armor, no matter how attractive it made her look.

"No! Not another one!" the green one spoke, and Noon looked at him. She flew down to where the five were standing.

"Make no mistake, I am no Saiyan, certainly not one like these two." She nodded her head to Vegeta and Nappa, who were giving her equally icy stares.

"That's right Namek." Nappa, huge and bear-like, jumped in. "This woman is definitely not one of us!" He gave her a disgusted look, and she returned an angry one.

"Watch your tone Saiyan. Unless you want to get yourself into trouble."

"What you going to do _commander_? Tell Frieza on me?"

"How dare you! I would sooner deal with you myself!"

The short human gulped loudly.

"She must be a strong one too! Stronger than that guy!"

"Hah! You've got to be kidding me! Just take one good look at her! There's no way she could be stronger than I am! I was the leader of the Saiyan army!"

"Oh shut up!"

"Hey, you have no order over me!"

She looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"If I were you Nappa, I would just keep my mouth shut right now!" It was Vegeta, and he wasn't too pleased.

"You are a fool if you think you can talk to the commander like that! She probably could kill you in an instant, and will do if you don't keep quiet!"

"But Vegeta…"

"Silence!" Vegeta resumed watching Noon. "And where exactly have you been anyway?"

"Around."

"Around? Is that all you can say? We've just killed three weaklings and you weren't even there!" Noon turned sharply to face him when she felt the others getting angry.

"So, why exactly are we here? Is there really any need to go around killing every living thing?"

"For your information Noon, we are here for a very important reason."

"Which is?"

"Never mind. You will see soon."

"Is that so?" She turned away from him, and looked at the small boy. He reminded her of someone. Someone she knew a long time ago. In a way, he looked like a Saiyan.

"If you don't mind, we would like to resume killing off these weaklings, and if you don't move, my fight will be with you."

Keen not to fight, Noon moved away, and sat on a boulder not too far away.

"You have no right to come here, and demand and kill everywhere." Her face was angry, and she was staring at Vegeta. The tall green man looked at Noon. She was certainly no Saiyan. There was something about her that seemed pure.

"Don't tell me you have never killed when not under orders."

"I have never killed, under orders Vegeta."

"Then you should be punished for treason!"

"I already have Vegeta."

"Whatever. I just want to kill you and be done with it. The way Frieza creeps around you sickens me."

"Believe me, it sickens me too. That's why I left, remember?"

"Humph. We'll deal with it later."

Through the arguing, the three the Saiyans were fighting were plotting against them.

"If we grab their tails, they become powerless. Their tails are their weak points." It was the green man whispering quickly.

"What about the other one? She seems to hate them. Is she our enemy or not?" The short human glanced at Noon, who was still arguing for now with Vegeta, and was oblivious to the conversation.

"I don't know Krillin, but we have to be on guard. She still knows them, and she is extremely powerful, so for now I say don't trust her ok?"

"Ok."

"But right now, don't concern yourself with her. She seems to be sitting out. Concentrate on the other two. You distract them, and I will grab his tail."

"Right."

Noon for now was stroking Pukka, who was laid out on his back enjoying the attention being paid to his stomach.

"She seems nice." It was the small boy, who was watching with amusement at the lizard squeaking loudly. He was being tickled, Noon laughing at him.

"Don't be fooled. We can't trust her right now. Think of the task ahead. The tails."

"Right."

"What are you three whispering about?" Nappa was watching the conversation take place, but appeared not to have heard it. "There really is no point, I am going to crush you!"

"Ready? Now!" All three leapt forward, and Noon stood straight to her feet. She was readying herself for any attack made on her, but to her surprise, none came. She saw the short man and the small boy aim different energy blasts at Nappa, whilst the green man grabbed his tail from behind.

"Gohan now!"

The small boy, Noon now knew his name to be Gohan, charged towards him, but was cut short when Nappa brought his elbow directly on top of the green man's head. His eyes bulged, and he looked in a great deal of pain.

"Aww, what's the matter Namek? You seem surprised." The Namekian man lost the energy to stand, and he flopped onto the floor. Gohan knelt beside him.

"Piccolo? Piccolo please wake up!"

Noon watched the boy, and it pulled on her heart to see such sorrow. The people of this planet cared for one another, a trait she didn't often see.

"I think that is quite enough Nappa."

"Keep out of this, it is not your fight."

"This fight does not need to take place. The people of this planet need peace."

"Listen, don't get involved if you don't know why we are fighting."

"So tell me."

"Why should…"

"We are here to collect the Dragonballs." Vegeta answered shortly.

"Dragon?"

"Yes Noon, dragon. It will be explained soon enough."

"So you feel you have to kill these people for them?"

"These people know where they are Noon."

"But they care for one another!"

"Don't get all sentimental on me! You know you can't use emotion in battle!"

"Humph."

"So stay out of it!"

She glanced at Gohan and Piccolo once more, and then resumed her position on the rock. Nappa had walked over to Gohan.

"You have a tail, you must be Kakkarot's son!"

Noon lost the rest of the conversation there. Kakkarot's son!

Incredible!

A sense of affection flitted across her mind. She remembered holding him as a child; she had wanted him safe.

A want to keep his own child safe burst into life in her heart.

It was the short bald human named Krillin who caught her attention next.

"Here! Try and catch this!" in his hand was a disk of energy. It looked sharp and deadly.

"Oh, I suppose I'll be up for a game of catch!"

'Idiot! He touches that, and it will cut him up! Perhaps I shouldn't say anything.'

Noon watched to see what the oaf would do, and to her utter delight, saw he wasn't going to move. It was so close now, so close. Until Vegeta's voice rang out that is.

"Nappa! Don't touch it!" Nappa looked at him, then dodged the disk just in time to see it shred through a mountain behind him.

"So…close…" The human looked disappointed, but felt nothing in comparison to Noon. Perhaps she should just kill him herself.

Nappa attacked the man with a series of brutal energy-based punches, and it seemed that he was keen to finish him off. Noon didn't want these people to die. They were friends of Kakkarot. She wanted to meet him again. Be his friend. The only true friend she had was Pukka, who she loved dearly, but things still got very lonely. Nappa wanted Kakkarot's friends dead. She just couldn't allow it.

"And now to finish you off!"

No. She just couldn't let it happen. She went to attack him, but the Namekian man got there first. He stopped Nappa briefly, and Krillin dropped to the ground, unable to get up. Noon seemed to be being useless on the battlefield.

"Piccolo, just get out of here! I'll take care of this bully myself!"

Nappa rounded on the small boy Noon now knew to be called Gohan.

"Just for that, you go first!"

Nappa's hand began to glow; he was readying himself for a large attack. Gohan stood terrified. The Namekian mans eyes widened.

'Oh no!' The blast erupted from his arm and hand, aiming all of its energy at Gohan. Noon moved quicker than the speed of sound to reach him. She did so, and covered him with her own body. She would withstand the blast easily, the boy would not. The blast finally stopped, the smoke cleared, and stood in front of Gohan and Noon was the Namekian man Piccolo. He had taken the blast to prevent it from getting Gohan.

"P… Piccolo?"

"Sok kid…I'm ok." He dropped to the ground. Noon stood, and looked at him in disgust at herself. She had been too late, too slow. A pain reached her ear, and scorched its way slowly to her chest.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry." She looked down at Piccolo, and her breathing hitched. He was Gohan's friend. Gohan was going to lose him. She should have stopped this from happening. It was her fault.

Her hearing was starting to waver, sounds were becoming muffled.

"Thank you. You've shown me what it means to have a friend."

Oh Kami, what had she done? It was her fault. All her fault.

"Wish me back ok?"

All her fault. The pain increased.

"Sorry I was so hard on you, I knew you could take it, I'm proud of you."

"All my fault…" Piccolo looked up at her and smiled.

"It isn't your fault." Noon looked at Gohan, and Gohan looked at Noon.

"Go get 'em kid." With that, Piccolo disappeared, and passed into the next dimension.

Noon stared at the ground, unsure what to think. She was upset and in pain. The dragon on her ear, round her neck and on her collarbone burnt horribly. Gohan was angry also, and Noon was sure she could feel the energy rise off him.

"I'm sorry kid I…" Noon stopped abruptly, and looked down. She looked at the hole that had appeared through the top of her chest, and had burnt a huge wing away at her back. Her breathing hitched, and she turned around, and away from a horrified Gohan to face a smirking Vegeta. His arm was still raised.

"You should have picked your side carefully Noon." His smirk broadened as deep purple blood trickled from a closed mouth.

"That was a dirty move Vegeta." As she spoke, blood burst from her mouth, splashing down her front.

"I thought you were quick! How pathetic! Well, it doesn't matter I suppose, you would have died sooner or later."

Noon nodded in agreement.

"That is correct, but I'd rather it be later than sooner." She smirked at Vegeta through her blood, then collapsed into a pool of darkness.

* * *


	4. Pukka's New Friend

* * *

Chapter 3 – Pukka's New Friend

Noon woke slowly and painfully. At first, she kept her eyes firmly closed, recalling what had happened. When her memory returned, so did the pain in her shoulder, and her eyes shot open. A pair of large onyx eyes and a shiny bald head greeted her blurry vision. The eyebrows were crossed, as though examining her. She sat up, but the cold metal of a thin blade met her chin. The human Krillin was shakily holding a sword to her.

"Don't move Saiyan."

Foolish humans.

Noon scowled up at the human and in a flash had summoned a blade of her own. Thick, powerful, and emblazoned with dragons flashing dangerously in the sunlight.

"I am no Saiyan, human."

"If that's so, then what are you?"

"I would tell you if I knew."

"Liar! You just don't want to die!"

Noon stood suddenly, and knocked the sword out of Krillin's hands with her own. The human stumbled back, slightly alarmed.

"Don't try my patience."

She summoned a sheath along her back, and placed the sword into it with one fluid motion. The human seemed relieved, and satisfied he would not try an attack again, she gave him one last look, a look slightly softened compared to when she first woke, then took off flying away. She wasn't as fast as usual due to her injury, but she was still out of sight in no time.

-----

Noon flew for many hours. Six, maybe seven at the most. She saw a large area with only one house and an extremely large oak tree. It was very peaceful. Perhaps she should rest somewhere around here. No. one house was still one too many. She wasn't keen on having any human company right now. She needed to heal somewhere in peace. Not too much time had past flying when she saw a series of tall mountains and huge-scale caverns. She landed on top of one of them, and noticed from there a fairly large stream ahead of her, then leading to an immense waterfall.

Time for a break.

She landed a little haphazardly next to the stream, and then collapsed onto her knees to drink plentifully from it. Pukka was by her side, a long tongue gulping thirstily at the clear waters. Noon looked at her reflection. She looked perfectly healthy, other than the hole in her shoulder that Vegeta had given her.

Vegeta…that dirty monkey.

More like a rat really.

A worm perhaps.

No…a flea should suffice.

Vegeta the flea.

Noon's metal images of a flea with Vegeta's hair brought a smile to her face, but it soon left when she noticed something was bothering her companion. Pukka was bolt upright, apparently listening to something, his golden eyes transfixed onto the waterfall to their right. Noon listened also, and wondered why she hadn't heard it before. It was such an odd sound. It sounded almost as though someone was in pain. Well…something. It didn't exactly sound human. Noon had extensive knowledge of many planets including Earth, but this sound seemed somewhat unearthly. What was also odd was where the sound appeared to be coming from. Because it seemed to be coming from behind the waterfall.

_Behind the waterfall?_

Is that even possible?

Noon, followed closely by Pukka, edged slowly down the stream to the waterfall, but couldn't work out whether or not anything was behind it. Well, only one way to find out.

Noon dived into the surprisingly deep stream, and made her way to the waterfall. She soon found out it was entirely possible for something to be behind a waterfall when she popped her head up to find a cave, the noise substantially louder. It was definitely pain too. She climbed painfully out of the water onto land, and walked slowly as Pukka caught up, towards the noise. When the short tunnel ended, what Noon saw took her breath completely away.

-----

"So where did she go?"

"No idea. She just put her sword away and flew off."

"And you have no idea who she is?"

"I have no idea what kind of creature she is, or where she came from, or where exactly she was heading, but as far as I know her name is Noon."

"Noon huh?"

"Yeah, but when she went, she was still injured. She has to be a good person, she tried to protect me, remember?"

"That's true, but she looked a bit dangerous with that sword."

"Well you did hold one to her too y'know."

"I suppose you're right, it wasn't exactly polite."

"I think she's on our side."

"On our side? Are you nuts? She was as strong as the Saiyans!"

"Yeah but she isn't one."

"Well…what do you think we should do?"

"I think we should find her, she can help us collect the dragonballs!"

"I'm not so sure Gohan…"

"I think you should go talk to her, give her a chance. Get to know her. We need to know for sure if she's on our side."

"What if she isn't?"

"Trust me, she's ok, I know it."

"If you say so Goku."

-----

Noon watched with a mixture of complete surprise, and absolute awe. She stood at the mouth of-judging by the appearance of the passage-a cave, but it was open to the skies. She could hear the sound of water running round the high walls of this almost outdoor cavern type place, leading to the waterfall it were hiding behind. It was very beautiful, with blossoming trees and daisies littering the ground. Along one wall, the water from the stream above trickled to a pond at the bottom. This was linked to the stream on the other side of the waterfall, and colorful fish populated it. Despite its extravagant beauty and unusual location, Noon's attention was focused on something else entirely.

She was looking at the dragon laid in the center of it.

Now Noon knew what the unusual noise was. The dragon was in intense pain. Noon was no stranger to dragons, and her lifetime experiences told her this dragon was pregnant.

No, she was _having _the baby _right now._

From what Noon understood, dragons were extinct on earth, and had been for a long time. She must be one of the last dragons left. And she was having a baby.

Boy, what a time to walk in on. Noon would have been ecstatic, if something hadn't have been wrong.

Horribly, horribly wrong.

The dragon's scales were a dark green, but much of it couldn't be seen, for her own blood covered her body. She was in an abnormal amount of pain. Noon looked to the source of the blood, and saw that she had been in labour for a while now. This old girl was having a hard time giving birth.

Too hard a time if you had asked her right then. Unfortunately, there was not one person around to ask. There was just her, and a dying female dragon in the middle of giving a painful birth.

They were both in serious danger.

If Noon tried to get close to help, the dragon could attack her, like a female would if she thought her baby was in danger. But if she didn't allow Noon to help, she could die and take her baby with her. It may already be too late for the mother, but her baby could still be saved. Only one option, Noon would have to try and talk to her.

This wasn't as crazy as it may seem for Noon. She was very friendly with the dragon race, and was widely known amongst them from the help they received for her. She spent many years of her life helping the dragon females give birth, as often things go wrong. Dragons do not give birth very often, and she spent thousands of years with them, thousands of years of service which the dragons will never forget. But the population of dragons decreased rapidly. The birth rate nose-dived because many of the males were killed due to hunting or dragon slaying. After the mysterious disappearance of her good friend Porunga, and her own death and memory loss, Noon rarely saw another dragon again. Until now that is.

Noon edged towards the dragon, but was soon cut short by a warning growl. She began to speak.

"Please, allow me to help you. I know you can understand me, just as I understand your words."

The dragon just stared. Her golden eyes glittering dangerously.

_I don't trust you. _

"You have to, if you want to save your baby."

The dragon consulted her for a minute, realizing that this creature in front of her wasn't lying. She could converse with dragons. She knew of only one person in the history books that could do that. Life wouldn't be so kind as to send her. She was dead anyway.

_Who are you? _

"My name is Noon." A long pause followed, and the dragon was painfully silent.

_I know who you are. I thought you were dead. Did Porunga bring you back? _

Noon nodded.

_Please help me. _She roared in pain as she tried to move. Noon laid a calm hand on her swollen belly, and a glow appeared at it. The dragon relaxed slightly, Noon taking some of the pain away. Unfortunately, she didn't have the power to get rid of it, but transfer it. She motioned for Pukka to jump from her shoulder as she halved the pain between them.

Noon felt the wave of pain hit her hard. Teamed with the dull burning in her shoulder, she struggled to regain her normal posture. She had experienced far worse however in her lifetime, but if this was half the pain, she couldn't imagine how the dragon must have been feeling before. She was quite a small dragon at about seven times Noon's height long and twice as high whist lying down. Noon doubted whether or not she had the body to cope with such a difficult birth.

She moved down her body to where the baby would be arriving, and moved her hands inside the dragon. She was definitely ready for birth, and Noon estimated a short time for arrival. She noticed that she was kneeling in puddles of blood, and removing her hands earned her a blood covered lap and a sharp pain in the lower region. She feared the worst for the mother-to-be.

After a short time of tummy stroking and a lot of encouragement, Noon soon felt a head in her hands. Felt only because this was such an unusual birth, and Noon needed to guide the baby dragon from out of its mother. The birth was unusual mainly because she was giving birth to live young rather than eggs. A rarity in itself.

Blood was pouring out pint by pint, and the pain was immense, but soon the head could be seen poking into thee outdoors. Smiling, Noon edged the baby carefully so that all of its long body was inher arms. Both the dragon and Noon seemed to sigh with relief, andshe placed the baby as big as herself in front of its mother.

"Congratulations! You have a son!" The exhausted mother looked gratefully at her baby.

"Do you have a name for him?"

Kibito. 

"Kibito? That's great! He is beautiful. You should be very proud.

_Thank you so much. Please take care of him._

"Take care of him?"

_Please. I am going to die. I can't keep him safe. Please say you'll look after him._

Noon knew there was only one thing to say. She knew that the dragon was going to die.

"I promise."

_Thank you. _

Noon buried the dragon, of whom she named Daisy from the flower that grew freely in her home. It upset her greatly, but she now had a duty to look after her son.

Kibito was at the moment with Pukka, who seemed to be enjoying the dragon's company. Although only a day old, he was very clever, as are most dragons within even the first hour of birth. He knew Noon was not his mother for obvious reasons, but also knew he would be living with her and that she would be looking after him. Noon had decided to make this place her home, so that she could live with Kibito in order to look after him. Already she was like a mother to him, and she loved his as a son.

Kibito was now playing with Pukka happily. Pukka quickly becoming his brand new friend.

Noon was happily watching, unaware that a group of fighters was on their way.

* * *


	5. Acceptation of the Group?

* * *

Chapter 4 – Acceptation of the Group?

It appeared to Noon that this place had never been touched by anything not of a dragon race before now. It was so beautiful and pure, if any human had found it, it would be in ruins by now or open to the public. It was a fairly large open area, but it had two separate tunnels leading off from it. Noon followed one to find it lead practically to nowhere. The cavern at the end of it appeared unused. Kibito decided that he would sleep here. He made it his personal space. The other tunnel however led to a large area with a hot spring centering it. It was very dark, so Noon created many candles and set them around the cave. Upon lighting them, she could see that the walls were lined with carvings of dragons, the spring sending steam into the cold air around them. From there she walked along another tunnel, which she found also led to nothing but empty space. Noon smiled. She had just found her sleeping quarters.

-----

Back in the garden-like centre of her new home, Noon began to feel something. It was odd, and she was sure she hadn't felt it before. It was as though she could feel energy. It was energy. She reached out her senses. She had always been able to detect a person's ki, but living in a Saiyan environment for so many years left her dependant on the scouter. A device she in fact invented whilst living with the tsufurians, before the Saiyan race even existed. But right now her scouter wasn't switched on, but she could _feel_ it coming her way. She assumed it must be the fighters from before, and keen not to let the location of her home known, flew quickly away to the other side of the waterfall drinking from the stream inconspicuously.

The bald human Krillin and the young Saiyan Gohan touched down lightly on the opposite side of the stream. For a moment, neither said a word. Noon just stared at one to the other.

"What do you want?" Noon asked a little more harshly than she had intended. Both Krillin and Gohan took an uneasy step back.

"Erm…May I help you?" She tried again, earning her a pair of relaxed complexions.

"Um…well…erm…" Krillin began to stutter. Noon leaned in, trying to hear him.

"Do you want to be our friend!" Gohan cried out excitedly. Noon retracted her head, surprised by the sudden noise.

"Your friend?"

"Well that's if you're not an evil Saiyan!" Krillin quickly blurted out.

"I have already told you human, I am no Saiyan."

"Yeah!" Intervened Gohan . "Saiyans don't have wings!" For some reason unknown to her, she blushed lightly. She wasn't keen on talking about herself.

"But they have tails!"

"Listen, I…am…no…SAIYAN!" Noon was getting annoyed with the idiotic human. Whilst the earthling was getting nervous around Noon. Gohan on the other hand was looking at Noon's light grey wings. One of the feathers was charred and black. It was on the wing directly behind the shoulder Vegeta had ploughed through. The hole was still clearly visible. Noon hadn't had time to try and heal it.

"Your wing…"

"Don't worry about it kid, another feather should grow within time."

"What about your shoulder?"

Noon just shrugged. She didn't know exactly how she would repair it.

"Oh. Well then we can fix it for you!" Gohan said cheerily.

"You have medicine?"

"No, just a bean."

"A bean?"

"Yeah, it's called a senzu bean." Krillin had found his voice, but was looking at Noon with a deadly serious expression. "But we won't give it to you if you're evil!"

Noon sighed wearily.

"I'm not evil."

"Prove it!"

"I don't have to deal with this."

"See! You can't prove it!"

"Why did you come here if you truly believe that?"

"We need your help Noon!" Gohan cried out.

"Oh now I see why you are trying to help me! Well if that's so, I don't want your help! Now please leave!"

"But you can help us find the dragonballs!"

Noon looked at Gohan. For a moment, seemingly interested.

"Gohan! We can't trust her! Don't tell her about the dragonballs!"

Noon ignored him.

"What are the dragonballs?"

-----

"So, she going then?"

Krillin sighed.

"Yeah, she doesn't seem as evil as I first thought. I didn't know what happened between her and Gohan. Apparently, the reason she got hurt was because she was on our side. Vegeta was the one who laid a sneak attack on her. She's ok now, we gave her a senzu bean after we explained about the dragonballs and was healed."

"Yeah, and I offered her a home with us like you said dad, but she said she already had a home!"

"Well, at least she's settled on the planet. You sure she's not human?"

"No way Goku. She referred to me as 'human' or 'earthling' before I stopped calling her a Saiyan."

"There is something very unusual about her though." Admitted Gohan.

"But you convinced her to go with you?"

"Well, not exactly. She's going, just not with us. She'll be going it solo in the pod she arrived in."

"Didn't Bulma destroy it?"

"No. Her pod is somewhere in the caverns."

"Well, good luck you guys."

"Thanks Goku!"

"See ya dad!"

-----

"A dragon huh? I can't wait to get those dragonballs! From what I've heard it might even be Porunga!"

Noon paced her 'garden', excited about the task ahead.

"This is great! I'll help those kids collect them and I'll talk to the dragon! He must know my past!" Noon hopped about the grass, Pukka chasing her round and round squeaking with excitement himself. Noon was a warrior, sure, but when it came down to Pukka and Kibito, she was a bit of a softy. It was because of this that the two of them would be accompanying her on her trip to Namek. In a way she felt a lot of freedom away from Frieza and the Saiyans. She didn't have to follow orders anymore, and she could wear her usual attire, rather than her uncomfortable Saiyan armour.

She sat at the edge of the pond on the far side of the garden and looked at the fish, as well as her own reflection. From dark green eyes, to her deep purple boots, her midnight blue shirt and trousers under a deep purple stiff jacket dropping to the ankles at the back, and the red sash tied around her waist.

She smiled, and her reflection copied her. She waved her head slightly, letting her hair sway from side, defying gravity as it stuck up in all directions, the middle section looking a lot like a Mohawk surrounded by equally spiky hair. Two thick strands of hair hung down from behind her ears, and down past her shoulders. One spike of hair hanging down in front of her face.

Pukka jumped onto her shoulder, reminding her that she really ought to be going. She flew through the top of the garden with Pukka and Kibito flying with her, and landed on the edge of the immense cavern. She looked back down it, and realized that she couldn't see her home at the bottom. Probably why it had not yet been discovered.

She set off looking for her space pod. She would wait for the others to leave the planet, and then she would follow them. Perhaps coming here was one of Vegeta's brighter ideas after all.

* * *


	6. To Namek

A/N: Special thanks to black-orlith for your last review. Some major story plot mistakes were made, and if you hadn't have said anything, it would've gotten much worse. This chapter has been re-written for the better (hopefully) and the story will go on.

* * *

Chapter 5 – To Namek! 

It took a little longer than Noon had expected to find her space pod, but when she did, she had a damn difficult time actually getting into it. Herself and Pukka fit in with room to spare, but when Kibito tried to get in things became more complicated. Kibito was of the same size as Noon, and she often found Kibito's scaly butt in her face, or his wings wouldn't tuck away properly. Noon thought finding the pod took a long time, but getting the three of them into it took at least twice as long. Once they were all in, the pod closed and sent them off into space to Namek.

Whereas Bulma, Krillin and Gohan had a rough ride to Namek, Noon's trip went rather uneventfully despite the awkward seating positions. But it became clear that she had been travelling slowly when the three landed in their Namekian spacecraft before she did so in her Saiyan space pod. Bulma had already seen one pod arrive, and when she saw Noon's she freaked out completely. Noon could hear Bulma's rambling from where her pod landed and she chuckled to herself at the thought of it. She let her energy flare-much more powerful now due to her recovery of near death like any Saiyan-to let the three know it was her and not some bloodthirsty tyrant. It flared for only a second, but Noon was sure she had let too much off, and someone's scouter would be bleeping away right now. Darn contraption.

-----

Gohan felt her ki signature, and tried to calm Bulma. No matter what he said, she just wouldn't let go of his leg. Krillin however, was looking at the two men he didn't recognize. Bulma sighted them, and wished immediately that she hadn't, her grip tightening around Gohan. A strong part-Saiyan he may be, but no boy or man could stand up to a scared woman's grip. Once Bulma was pulled off, she sat on her knees, terrified. The men both smiled cruelly. With one blast, the Namekian spacecraft they had arrived in was destroyed beyond repair. Bulma wasn't terrified anymore. She was angry. Gohan leapt for the two, but someone else reached them first.

Krillin and Gohan turned to see Noon stood behind them. Her arms were crossed, and her face neutral. Both turned their heads and starred at her, but she just shrugged.

"Hey, don't look at me."

Again, both boys turned their heads, but this time to be met by a very red-faced Bulma. Her fists were still clenched.

"NOW WE CAN'T GET HOME!"

Noon winced as Bulma's high-pitched voice reached her delicate ears but straightened her face once again. This time it bore a serious expression.

"Listen." The three looked at her, Bulma a little wide eyed. "These Dragon Balls. They must be pretty sought after, right?"

They nodded.

"I don't think we're the only ones here."

"I knew it! Vegeta's here, isn't he?"

Noon nodded, specifically in Bulma's direction. She sank back to her knees.

"But…I don't think he's the problem."

"You mean there's someone else?"

"I felt a flicker of power I recognized not too long ago. This ki I sensed is unusual to be on it's own."

"Whose was it?"

"A foul creature named Dodoria. This creature always, and I mean _always_ has at least one other person to worry about with him. I just hope it's not the one I fear it to be."

"Who is…?"

Noon held out her hand.

"We have to move, now!"

"And who exactly put you in charge?"

"I did. Unless of course you want to die, human."

-----

"This will have to do. Now stay here until I get back, understand?"

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"For a little walk. I need to find something out."

"How do we know you're going to come back?"

"I will, trust me."

"I can't trust you. I don't even know who you are! These guys won't tell me anything!"

Noon looked at Bulma. She had a very good point. She thought for a moment, scratching a peachy nose with a pale blue fingernail as she did so.

"You want to know about me?"

"If you want to be trusted, yes."

"Alright. We'd better sit down. This may take…"

"What? This may take what? Hey! Hello!"

Noon was silent. And she looked troubled. She had silenced pretty quickly.

"Hey Krillin, do you sense that energy in the air?"

"I think so Gohan. It feels pretty strong and it's still rising. I…think it could…possibly mean…TROUBLE! EVERYONE HEAD FOR COVER!"

All four people, one lizard, and a dragon ran into the cave they had discovered only moments before.

"It feels like Vegeta only stronger."

Noon stayed completely silent. She knew exactly who was on their way. She could feel the horrifying familiar energy quickly approaching.

"Everyone keep very still, and silent."

The others looked at Noon. Not one of them had seen her frightened. Now they saw she was terrified. Very soon Gohan and Krillin could see many energy signals, flying in a huge clump. Each one energy ball represented one man, as Noon doubted there would be women within them.

They passed pretty quickly, but as they did so it was plainly obvious that there were a huge amount of them. They passed however, which indicated that they were not seen. This comforted Bulma, but no one else. She looked at Krillin and Gohan, who looked truly disturbed. Their teeth were gritted, and they were shaking, drawing in deep breaths. Noon however just stood, backed against the wall staring right ahead of her, a sweat drop visible on her smooth brow.

"What's the matter with you guys?"

"Bulma, take a look at the dragon radar."

"For what?"

"The concentration. It was as if a bunch of dragon balls were traveling together. Let's just hope that's not true."

"Well, let's take a look."

She reached for her radar as Noon watched over her shoulder. She let out a gasp.

"You're right! Those people who flew by have four of the dragon balls!"

"How many did you say there are in total? Seven, wasn't it?"

"Yes, that's right."

"My guess would be they're heading for another."

Bulma checked her radar again.

"Yes! They're heading straight for another. It's as though they know right where to find it."

"It must be where I sensed a Namekian base camp not too long ago!"

"Gohan, did you see that guy near the front?"

"Yes I…"

"We need to get to the dragon ball before he does. This is more serious than you may think. That 'guy' at the front isn't someone to be tampered with."

"You know him?"

"You could say we've met."

"Who is he?"

"You'll find out soon enough when you leave." She looked very worried. They didn't want to push her into answering anything. Besides, she was right. They would find out soon enough. They were getting ready to set off after them.

"ARE YOU GUYS NUTS? THERE'S NO WAY I'M WAITING HERE FOR YOU!"

"Don't worry. I'll stay with you. Just promise you'll stop shouting."

Bulma turned towards Noon. She wasn't too comfortable with staying behind with someone she didn't know. Even more so, someone she didn't know who could easily destroy her. It seemed however that Noon knew exactly what she was thinking.

"It's ok. I'll tell you all I know about myself once they're gone."

"Well, ok then." She looked back at the boys. "Don't do anything stupid!"

Within moments they had disappeared, leaving Bulma and Noon alone.

"I think it would be sensible if we went back inside the cave."

"Yes. I need to make a phone call to Master Roshi."

-----

Noon stared in disbelief at the huge accommodation Bulma had produced from a single capsule. She couldn't believe a house like that could appear from such a tiny thing. More so, she couldn't believe a creature such as the human thought to invent it. But then again, she had a lot to learn about these humans. Bulma led the way into the house, and Noon continued to stare from outside as the call was made to Roshi's island. No more than two minutes later her aqua blue haired head popped out of the door.

"Are you coming in then?"

"Er sure. Why not?"

"Yes, yes come in. I made the call and Roshi is on his way to Goku. He'll be here in no time."

"Who?"

"Goku."

Noon stepped through the door.

"Who's Goku?"

Bulma gave Noon a very wide-eyed stare.

"Are you kidding me? You don't know who Goku is? I thought you were some sort of Saiyan!"

"Well no I'm not a Saiyan, and er…should I know him?"

"You just saw his son!"

"The bald guy?"

"No! The kid! Gohan is Goku's son!"

"But I thought that he was Kakkarot's son."

Bulma looked at the plain confusion written on Noon's face, and wondered how on Earth (or Namek as it were) she didn't know.

If realization were a solid object, it would've knocked her out.

"Oh! I see! Kakkarot was his Saiyan name wasn't it?"

"Well, Kakkarot is a Saiyan, yes."

"Kakkarot _is _Goku!"

"P-pardon?"

"Kakkarot is Goku. Goku is Kakkarot! You see, when Goku came to Earth, he was found by this old guy called Gohan, and he raised him as his grandson. From then on he's always been called Goku."

Noon sat down, absorbing the information given to her by Bulma at top speed.

"Thing is, he hit his head and forgot everything up until that point. After that he became good. Unfortunately Goku accidentally…killed his grandpa when he…well…"

"Let me guess. Turned into a giant ape on a full moon?"

"That's exactly what happened. That's why his son is named Gohan. He named him after his grandpa."

Noon didn't say anything. She was just thinking upon Goku's arrival. Or Kakkarot's arrival. She didn't really know what to think.

"Does he prefer the name Goku?"

"He hates being called Kakkarot."

"Oh, I see."

"Say, how did you know about Goku's transformation on a full moon?"

"I've seen it before."

"You've seen a lot haven't you?"

"You could say that."

"Tell me."

"Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning."

"The beginning?"

"As far as you can remember."

"Well…the first bits are a bit sketchy. My very last memory, well, sort of memory is of my home planet. I can remember the colour of it"

"The colour? That's odd. So…what colour was it?"

Bulma saw Noon's eyes gloss over.

"Oh Bulma. It was beautiful." This sudden reaction caught Bulma off guard, she hadn't heard Noon talk like this. "I remember it's wonderful purple skies. The colour of the Earth stone amethyst. The ground was so lush, evergreen with tall trees and lots of daisies."

"Daisies?"

"I like daisies."

"Right…er… ok. Anything else?"

"Um…that's it for the planet. But then the next thing I remember is the other world when I was dead. I remember the big red guy."

"You were dead?"

"For eight thousand years."

"Wow. How exactly did you die? Was your planet destroyed?"

"No. I was killed by someone, or something, but I don't remember it."

"Do you remember what _colour _it was?"

Noon thought hard. Bulma seemed to notice her memory for colours more than anything.

"It was pink. Bright pink and quite ugly too. That is all I remember."

"Did you live with anyone?" Noon shrugged. "Any brothers or sisters?"

Another shrug.

"Ah well…more about you. I know your name, but how old are you? You look very young."

"Yes, I'm quite young. I think I'm nearing the half-a-million mark."

Bulma's eyes widened, and Noon thought they would pop out.

"I guess that's old to you. How long do humans live?"

"About eighty to just over a hundred at the most."

Now Noon's eyes grew.

"Really? That's a shame."

"You don't know much about humans do you?"

"Not much, sorry. I do know a little though."

"I'll explain about the humans later. I want to know more about you. What happened in death? Were you revived or something?"

Noon sighed. "Yes. I think a dragon named Porunga revived me, but for what purpose I'm not sure."

"What happened when you were brought back?"

"Well, this I do remember. I woke up on a very strange and dark planet. I had lost much of my memory, and there were huge gaps in my death period too. I found I even had a tail, which shocked me rather a lot. I was just looking down at my reflection, trying to work out who or what I was, when a dragon appeared."

"Porunga?"

"No. This dragon had a very dark energy to him. He is a very dark and evil dragon after all. His name I don't know, but he came with a strange message. I can't say what that was right now, but I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. Before the dragon left he swiped at me, and as you can see," Noon un-buttoned her stiff-jacket and lifted her shirt. "the scar is still here with me, a constant reminder of his message." Bulma gasped at the scar, deep and long, running right across her stomach and nearing her chest. She stared at her for a moment before noticing something else.

"What is that on your ear?" She pointed to her ear, which had imprinted on it a tail of some sort."

"It's a dragon tail. It is almost a sort of time scale or an indicator of how much time I have left. When the dragon's head reaches my heart, time is up."

"Until what?"

Noon just shook her head.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Bulma decided not to push it, so she got them back onto their original conversation.

"So then what happened?"

"After the dragon left, I was found by the people of the planet, called the Tsufurians. The Tsufurians were a very intelligent race. Highly evolved in the brains, but not terrific fighters. They were good people. They helped me back on my feet and made me welcome to their planet. I thought it was risky for them to do this. Only I knew for sure that they could trust me.

I learnt quickly after being discovered that I was on a planet called Planet Plant. A planet I had never once heard of. However, it seemed the Tsufurians were not the only creatures to inhabit the planet. There were odd creatures, creatures I still don't know the names of. They were of a bright orange, skin overgrown on their faces. They were a threat to the Tsufurians, ruthless and cold. They delighted in causing the Tsufurians pain. But loved more than anything to eat them.

After some time though, these bizarre creatures started to disappear, and eventually there were none left. We were glad to see them go, but something was worrying me. My question often asked was of how they disappeared. The answer came to me in the woodlands, where I found one dead. Killed in such a barbaric way not even capable of it's own kind. The Tsufurians were worried, and my nerves jangled at the ki sensed every now and then. Using the brains of the Tsufurians, and my inventive skills, we came up with the scouter. With this, any Tsufurian with one would know if they were in danger. It was an invention I was proud of, but it was not to last long.

Finally, I knew what had killed the orange ones. A new race, a new kind of life was evolving on Planet Plant. We called them the Saiyans. The Tsufurians used the scouters to protect themselves, but soon the two races met. The Saiyans lived in poor conditions. Primitive beings with monkey-like tails. Monkey-like tails similar to mine. The Tsufurians knew and trusted me now, and thought these knew creatures seemed quite innocent. Why? I don't know. I always said they trusted too easily, and I wish I hadn't have been right. They believed the Saiyans to be just like me, helpful and kind to their race. I would have told them they were wrong, if I had been there.

Why had I left for one of my little wonders? Why had I gone for a walk, a bit of an exploration round a planet I hardly knew? Curiosity. They say on Earth it killed the cat. Now I know what they mean. I was alone, and on open ground. I still can't believe my luck. The ship came down right in front of me, and the entrance opened. My mouth hung open. I certainly wasn't expecting that, nor the person who stepped out of it."

Bulma was hanging on her every word. It was obvious that Noon was giving her the short version of the story, and she didn't want to miss any major details.

"Who was it?"

"His name is Kold."

"Kold?"

"Back then he was known as Prince Kold. Ruler of the Ice-jins."

"This doesn't sound good."

"It isn't. Kold is a strong and powerful creature. His empire was and still is enormous. And I ran straight into him. When he stepped out of that ship, I really couldn't tell you who was more surprised than the other. But it was his energy that scared me more than his appearance."

"Would I know it was Kold if I ever saw him?"

"I imagine you would. He is very tall, _extremely _tall compared to me. I come up to his mid-thigh I think. He was looking at me with a strange surprised expression. I would have found it funny if I hadn't known I was in serious trouble. The expression soon left though and another replaced it. The image of it still lingers in my mind. It was sick, twisted and cruel. It made me want to run but I couldn't. His whole demeanor was terrifying. He wore armor around him, and a cape signifying royalty. The horns on his head-one at each side-looked deadly sharp, with the white exoskeleton headpiece surrounding a deep purple, yet handsomely young face. I doubt he looks like that now though, this was a couple of hundred years ago. Yes he was a young prince, and the lustful smirk he bore made me feel quite queasy. You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to get away at that point.

"Well what do we have here?" Were his first words to me after the long silence. "Not every day do I come across something like this." For some reason, a reason still unbeknown to me even now, I just could not move. If I had have run, I'm sure I'd have gotten away. But alas, my legs felt like jelly. "What's the matter?" He asked me after yet another long silence. "Do you not speak?" I nodded. "Oh, good. Now then my dear could you tell me which planet I am on?"

"Plant." I answered shortly. I didn't seem to be in the mood for talking.

"Yes, it appears I have come to the right place. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it is the Tsufurians who live here, am I right?"

"That is correct." I saw his blood red eyes search me briefly, and a shiver swept down my spine. His eyes were glistening with interest, and I knew he would question me further.

"But you are no Tsufurian." I nodded once again.

"And I am no Saiyan either."

"My, my you seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. I have been watching this planet for a while now. I know about the Tsufurians, and these Saiyans. But who would have known that I would stumble on such a being as yourself." His smirk broadened. "What a pleasant surprise."

"What do you want?"

"Well, when I first arrived on the planet, all I wanted to do was…let's say…borrow a couple of these Saiyans. They caught my eye, and it seems that they would make excellent fighters for my usage. But now something, or some_one _has captured my attention, I believe my intensions have changed."

It was as if everything was in slow-motion when I watched him walk up to me. I remember staring at every step he took towards me with his three-toed feet. I shifted slightly when I found him getting too close for comfort and he stopped in his advance. His eyes narrowed, and I got the feeling he was searching for any sort of emotion. He knew I was terrified, but that didn't seem to satisfy him.

"An ugly thing, aren't you?" I looked up at his face when he said this, and found my neck hurting after a few seconds or so he was so tall. I was slightly taken back by his comment, but it got no sort of emotion out of me. In a way, I was quite relieved. I lowered my head to rest my neck from looking up, but as I did so I saw his face change. Quickly I watched his facial expression, and it appeared that he was thinking. His black lips were twisted, and I thought he was going to rub his chin in a few seconds, but he appeared to come up with something.

"That tail looks pretty dumb y'know." Now this I thought to be a very peculiar thing to say. But when no reaction came from me, he seemed to think again. Another moment and…it looked like he came up with something.

"Hmmm…well your hair…no…um…eyes? No no no."

Maybe not.

"Are you trying to get me mad?" I asked him. Immediately he straightened himself up to full height, and the fear returned.

"Er...certainly not."

"Then what exactly are you doing?"

"…"

"Well?" I don't know why I was pushing him into talking to me; I would much rather have hidden behind a large tree at that point.

"Why should I answer to a short little thing like you?"

"Excuse me?" My usually pale peachy face had acquired a very red tone now. I must have looked like a poppy. This it seemed was what he was looking for, because he gave me a satisfied smirk.

"I said you are a short, little thing."

"How dare you! I'll have you know--" I didn't finish that sentence. Before I knew it he was laughing. His face creased, and he suddenly looked old. Hewas older thanI first thought.He straightenedhis to speak to me though.

"My dear do calm down. I was just simply testing you. The amounts of planets I have come across have had females which have no sort of personality."

"And that's what you're interested in, is it?" I can't tell you why I said that. It just seemed appropriate

"Well, you see they had no emotion, no _soul. _No fun at all, I should imagine." I wish I hadn't spoken at that point. As a matter of fact, I wish I had never spoken a word since that damn ship arrived."But you are different my dear." He said. I took a step back sub-consciously; and he took one towards me.

"I-is that so?" Why did I ask that? _Why? _His smirk was just so frighteningly creepy.

"It is so." Before any other words were exchanged, I found myself slung over his shoulder. He was so strong it was unreal. I could feel his arms around me, and I knew I wasn't getting out of this one. He turned swiftly, and I knew when he began walking that we were heading for his ship."

"He took you away from Planet Plant?" Bulma was wide eyed, clutching her glass of water as though she expected it to leap out of her hands.

"Yes, he did." Noon was just staring at hers. It looked as though it was a very interesting glass of water to her, but not so. It was obvious to Bulma these memories have never been told to anyone, and she was finding it hard to recall them accurately. "By the time he put me down, we were already out of Plant's orbit. He told me to stay where I was, and he turned to walk away.

"Hey, wait! Who in hell are you!" I shouted. He turned to face me, mild surprise visible on his face.

"I do apologize my dear, my name is Prince Kold." He bowed deeply. "And may I ask the name of my companion?"

"Noon."

"Welcome to my ship Noon. I'm sure you'll find everything you need here." With that he left me alone, which I have to add, I was very pleased about. It didn't last long though, because he returned. He came to the room I had been appointed to, and let himself in.

"Come with me. I think you will want to see this." Doubting there was anything I would want to see from him, I followed. Eventually we came to the control room of his ship, which had a huge window for observation circling the whole room. He pointed directly ahead of him, and I saw the giant emerald green planet I knew to be Plant. But I saw immediately something was wrong. Something very disturbing was happening. I looked up at Kold, who was already meeting my gaze.

"The two races are fighting."

"Fighting?" I said only because it felt right. I heard him perfectly well.

"The Saiyans have transformed by the rays of the full moon. I knew this was going to happen, ever since I discovered the race on this planet. It was fortunate I found you when I did."

"Yeah...fortunate. Wait. What do you mean transformed?"

"Into great apes. Their tails allow this transformation." I looked at my own tail, wondering whether the same could happen to me."

Noon looked at Bulma. She knew what she was thinking. "My tail does not have the same effect on me as it does with the Saiyans, so you can relax. It does however give me certain Saiyan qualities. For example my strength increases every time I recover from near-death. Why this happens I haven't a clue, but I always decided never to have it removed. In a strange way, I've become rather fond of it."

"That must be why everyone thought you were a Saiyan."

"That's right."

"So why were they fighting on Planet Plant?"

"As you may know, when a Saiyan transforms, they have no control over their actions. They do however know when they are going to transform. They just chose not to tell the Tsufurians."

"They had no warning?"

"I watched each and every one die. The planet was taken over, blood red from the battle, or should I say massacre that took place. A Saiyan named Vegeta was their leader."

"Vegeta!"

"Not the Vegeta we both know, but I'm sure he is an ancestor of some sort. The name Vegeta has been passed down the royal bloodline for generations. When I saw them take over, immediately I hated them. Kold on the other hand, seemed more interested than before. It appeared he wanted them to help him plunder any planet he wanted."

"So that's what Raditz must have been talking about!"

"Raditz? You've met him?"

"Yes, he's Goku's brother. You've met him?"

"I have met many Saiyans, but that is a different story."

"Yes it is, and you still haven't told me how you got away from Kold."

"Who said I did? In a way it was lucky he found me when he did, but the reason he took me with him wasn't a good one."

"Dare I ask?"

"Well, as odd as it sounds, he wanted me to be his wife."

Noon waited for a reaction. When she didn't get one, she looked up from her glass of water. Bulma was just staring at her, mouth slightly open.

"Thing is, he needed a wife to become a King, y'know rather than a Prince. I think it was he thirst for power more than anything."

Still nothing. Noon wondered whether Bulma had turned into stone or something, the lack of noise coming from her was unnerving.

"Bulma?"

"What did you _say? _Did he propose?"

"Oh no, no. He just told me straight that I would be his wife, and barer of his children. I was taken back I must admit. I basically told him I didn't want to get married."

"How in Kami's name did you get out of that one?"

Noon gave her a smug grin.

"What anyone else would do. Find someone who would want to!"

"…"

"You see, I proposed this to him, but he told me he'd been looking for the perfect Queen for years now. After some convincing though, I made a deal with him. Either I come back with a wife, or I marry him myself."

"What did you do? Run away?"

"No, of course not!" She laughed at what she thought was a joke. "We landed on Kold's planet before I would set off on my little mission as it were, but it just so happens that I was lucky once again."

"You found someone?"

"Yup. Right on his home planet. I swear he couldn't have looked far." She laughed again, but Bulma kept on listening with awe.

'What kind of creature _is _this woman?' Bulma's thoughts were interupted however when Noon began to speak again.

"When I first met her, I knew she was perfect. She was the main commander of Kold's army! I asked her for her name to see if Kold had ever met her, but right after she told me her name was Chill, she told me lightly that she would love the honor of meeting Kold! Of course I took her to him, and let's just say he approved. I knew she wanted it just as much as he did, so I didn't do anything wrong!"

Noon beamed at Bulma, who let out a long sigh. "That's some story!"

"No kidding! After he became King he made me his top commander, and I fought for his army until his second son was born." Her face lost its cheery smile. "That's when Chill died, giving birth to her son. I became his son's commander after many years, but it was never the same. In many ways, the son is worse than his father." Her face was troubled again now. "And to think, it's my fault he even exists."

"Who are his sons?"

"His first son is out into space somewhere, probably destroying a planet or two, so don't worry about him.

"And the second?"

"The second...the second and youngest son...is here on Namek right now." Noon remembered at that point why she wasn't going to stay here in the first place. What if he knew she was here?

"Noon? Noon who is it?

"I have to go."

"Noon! Who is here?"

"Frieza."

* * *

A/N: Phew! That was the longest chapter yet! Sorry for the length of this, but some things just needed explaining! 

Please read and review!


	7. Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z unless in goo-goo land, but I do however own Noon and any other characters that may spawn from my mind.

A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews! I really feel like getting on with this story. I will try to have at least a few more chappies up by Christmas.

Oh! And for those who got the impression that the romancey part of this fic involves King Kold can relax, ok? Breathe._ Breathe. _Because it doesn't, although that doesn't mean he won't be in it, oh no. And for those who hoped for it (if you people even exist-you don't see many Kold fics) sorry to disappoint…and well…go take a long cold shower…

Chapter 6 – Reunion

"Frieza!"

"Listen Bulma, I really have got to go. He might know I'm here, so the longer I stay with you the more danger I'm putting you through."

"So you're leaving me here all alone?"

"You'd be in more danger if I stayed. I'm sorry, I know I promised but I can't stay here!"

"Well if you say so."

Noon gave a slight nod of her head, and Bulma could see the nerves outlining her face. She could also tell that she was trying to hide it, as if not to panic her. But they both knew things had gotten serious now.

"Be careful. And watch those boys! Make sure they don't get into trouble!"

"I will certainly try."

She gave Bulma a thumbs-up before indicating to her friends that it was time to go. Pukka leapt from the table and onto Noon's shoulder, whereas Kibito lazily slunk off the sofa he was sprawled on, before joining Noon.

"Perhaps it would be best if you stayed here with Bulma, Kibito."

He didn't reply, but the determination clearly visible even on a dragon's face told her he wasn't going to be left behind.

"Alright, but I'll have to carry you there."

Kibito bowed his head as his silent answer. She knew now he was serious. He hated being carried, but he strove to protect Noon no matter what happened, and became angry or even jealous if anyone but Pukka went too close.

Finally she was ready to leave, with an excitedly squeaking Pukka sat upon one shoulder, and a rather disgruntled looking Kibito slung over the other. With a final wave goodbye to Bulma she set off, keeping her power level down, and she was gone from sight within seconds.

-----

"Gohan calm down! I know it's hard to bear but we have to keep it cool otherwise they'll find us!"

"But…we can't let them do this!"

"We have to! We can't just go rushing in, that's Frieza down there!"

"I…know it's just…so hard."

"I know it is Gohan but we just have to wait."

"But wait for what?"

"The right opportunity. We're here to wish Piccolo back remember."

"Ah, so that's why you need the dragonballs!"

Startled, both Krillin and Gohan turned their heads to see Noon lying on her stomach behind them. She had been listening to them talking for a little while now. Pukka was copying Noon's posture adorably, whilst Kibito crept up beside a now rather nervous Krillin and made himself as small looking as possible.

A few minutes passed by, and the five of them all watched in horror as Frieza went ahead bullying the Namekians as to where the dragonballs were kept. Eventually he sent Dodoria to finish the children off. He set off after them, but Gohan got in the way.

"Gohan _no!_" Noon's frightened whisper was not even close to be heard as she watched in both horror and somewhat admiration at the sight of Gohan kicking Dodoria hard in the head, to send him crashing into one of the buildings nearby.

"Oh, not you too!" She was watching Krillin now, who had jumped into the fray. "Great. Maybe I ought to get my feet wet after all. It's going to be a shock. I hope Frieza's ready for this little reunion. Then again, I don't think I'm ready for it." She stood up. "Oh Kami, what am I doing? I'm getting myself into some serious trouble here." With her thoughts now from her mouth, she rushed down to where the others were.

"Oh, don't think you're getting away from me that easily." Dodoria was up in the air; ready to chase Gohan, Krillin, and a small Namekian child so he could destroy them all for defending themselves. He was almost at them, until Noon appeared right in front of him. He barely had time to stop before she moved her arm in a sweeping motion, and knocked him right back down to the ground. As soon as she had done it though, she knew she shouldn't have. Dodoria stood back up, and the look of pure malice was aimed right up at her. Noon looked at the other people down on the ground, to see all of them staring in her direction. Zarbon's face was of mild disapproval, whereas Frieza's face was purely comical. That is until he realized who he was looking at

"Well what _do_ we have here?" Frieza's voice drifted slowly up to her.

"A dead monkey freak!" Dodoria answered, using the name he first called her when he met her.

"Monkey freak? Well I haven't heard that in a while."

"Well you should hear it all the time! It is what you are!" Dodoria's fists were clenched and it looked as though he was going to attack any second.

"Humph. Well at least I'm not a big, ridiculously pink fish-looking fat git!" She shouted back at him. This angered Dodoria further, and he leapt into a furious attack. This was fruitless however, as Noon only swept her arm again, and he was sent back down to the ground even harder than before. He got up again to try another attack, but it was Frieza's voice that stopped him.

"Dodoria! Stop this at once! Can't you see you are no match for her! Now go get those brats!"

Dodoria didn't reply, but for the second time went to catch up with those who were close to escaping. Once again though, it was Noon who appeared in front of him. Dodoria growled angrily, before Zarbon came up behind Noon and knocked her full-pelt to the ground. With that, Dodoria left quickly and was soon out of sight.

On the ground Frieza was staring intently at the hole created by Noon's body on impact, and saw her rise out of it after not much time.

"Damn! He got away!"

"I would be worried about yourself if I were you. I'm not very happy with you."

"I could say the same about you."

"Is that so?"

"It is so, yes. I have a few questions that need answering."

"Yes, and so do I my dear. And my first is where were you for dinner? You never did turn up. And you promised, too."

"Really? And since when do promises ever matter to you, Frieza? Do you remember the promise you made to me years ago, hmm? The one you broke on the day I broke mine?"

"Ah, so you know about the disposal of that worthless planet, and it's worthless inhabitants?"

"Yes I know about Planet Vegeta and the Saiyans, Frieza. I was on that planet only moments before you destroyed it."

"What? Why you disobedient little commander! I told you never to go near there!"

"I am well aware of your orders. And as for dinner, you were busy destroying planets, so I was left to wander space in my pod for a while, until your father found me, that is."

"Ah, so you met my father?"

"Pure coincidence I can assure you. But yes, your father happened upon me. I saw what you did to that planet, and decided then that I didn't want to see your face again…and I still feel that way." She added strongly.

"So harsh…" Frieza was using mock emotion. Something Noon hated. "…and I was hoping you'd stay."

"No thanks."

"But my dear, you have no choice. It was you who decided to land here a start a fight with my men."

"Well now I've decided to end it."

"You think you're leaving? I don't think so. I still need questions answering."

"Like what?"

"Why are you here? And how did you get from my father's ship to this planet?"

"My reasons are my own for being here, Frieza. And as for your father, he let me go and see what Vegeta and Nappa were up to. I caught up with them on planet Arlia, and from there we landed on Planet Earth. I met some people on Earth and now I'm here. End of story."

"That will have to do for now."

"Now my question. Why did you destroy Planet Vegeta?"

"My dear what is the matter? I thought you hated the Saiyans."

"I'm not keen, no. But I had friends Frieza and they didn't deserve to die."

"I refuse to have such a discussion with you Noon. Now I say we talk buisness. How about you work for me again for a little while huh?"

"Not a chance."

"I think it would be in your interests."

"No. I never want to work for you again. Ever."

"Wrong answer." Within a second Zarbon had reappeared behind her, and he tried to grab her. Noon was too quick, however and managed to swerve from his grasp. After a few more attempts it seemed that Zarbon was not going to catch her, so Frieza stepped in himself. He was quick, and teamed with Zarbon he easily grabbed her wrists. He was a powerful being, and she could not break free from the grip he kept from behind her. She struggled in front of him, and she heard him chuckle.

"I love to see you struggle like that Noon. It's the fire inside you that I like to extinguish." He brought his other arm round to her front and dug it into her stomach. She winced at the pain his strength brought, and yelped as her scar opened slightly.

"Co-operate with me my dear and it'll be a lot less painful for the both of us."

"You slimy bastard." He dug his arm even harder into her, and Noon could feel her warm blood from the scar being absorbed into her shirt.

"Oh Noon, that hurts me. Such language from your mouth doesn't suit you."

"Any language that isn't talking shit doesn't suit you Frieza."

Frieza growled angrily in her ear, but although she felt fearful, Noon stayed strong.

"I think you need to learn how to respect me again Noon."

"You'll get it when you earn it!" She struggled again, but couldn't do much due to Frieza's arm.

"My, my. I don't think I've ever seen you this feisty before my dear. I could take a liking to this new side of you." He chuckled again, sending a very uncomfortable shiver rocketing down her spine. It reminded her of her first meeting with Kold back on Planet Plant. Frieza seemed to notice this, and he chuckled once again, before releasing her stomach from his arm. She couldn't move much however, because he still held onto her wrists behind her back. After a moment he reached up and touched her face lightly. She flinched at their sudden contact and began to feel extremely nervous. Quickly she moved her head away from his hand, but he grabbed her chin.

"It has been many years since I have seen you Noon. You will learn to respect me once again. Zarbon! Take her back to the ship at once! I think she needs a time-out."

He went to pass Zarbon her wrists so he could carry her back to the ship safely (for him that is), but she started struggling immediately. As soon as she did so, Zarbon moved round to the front of her, where he struck a chunky knee into her stomach at full force. She winced, before a trickle of blood left her mouth. She didn't move however because Frieza had a firm grip on her hands and arms to keep her straight. When she didn't respond in any way other than a glare, Zarbon decided to continue pummeling a defenseless Noon with the hardest punches he could muster. With each blow she was weakened, and she was sure Frieza would let him beat her to within an inch of her life. The only movements she made were with her mouth, which opened to let a small cry of pain escape now and then.

He hit her stomach again, opening the scar fully, and she cried out as the blood gushed from her chest downwards. He didn't hit her again after this though, so she opened he aching eyes. There, right in front of her was Kibito, stood to his full height, wings flexed, staring at Zarbon murderously.

"What do we have here now? The commander's pet perhaps?"

Kibito growled loudly before advancing slightly.

"What are you going to do? Attack? Eat me? I don't think so." With that, Kibito leapt forward, attempting to sink his long teeth into Zarbon. Unfortunately, Zarbon was far too fast for the dragon; and he was grabbed around the neck in no time.

"Listen here dragon. If you make one more move like that, I'll kill her. Got it?" He let go of Kibito, who could quite easily have eaten Zarbon, but chose not to for Noon's sake, and he went to stand defensively in front of her again. This it seemed, was highly amusing to Frieza.

"Alright, alright." He said, half laughing. "I think it's time to end this. Take Noon to the ship and put her into the chambers to heal. Her friend can go, if he can fly." He held Noon's now slightly limp body up for Zarbon to take. "She will learn soon enough."

Kibito growled again as Zarbon took her from Frieza. He hated it when her enemies got too close, even more so when they carried her.

"If you want to come, I suggest you stop growling at me like that."

With a final look at the dragon, he flew from the scene, Kibito following shortly.

-----

As Zarbon half-dragged, half-carried Noon to the medi-center, it came to her attention that there weren't many people around at all.

'Maybe they've gone in search of Gohan and the others.' She thought warily to herself.

With a blip of the door, Noon figured they had reached their destination. She had her eyes closed, but she could hear Zarbon pressing some controls in front of her.

"There. Get inside. When you heal, I'll be back for you, and you should have a different attitude about you when I do so. If it were up to me, I'd have killed you. But it seems that you are still Frieza's favourite after all these years." He let go of Noon, and she opened her eyes so she could make her way into the chamber and sit down. Once she was hooked up with oxygen and other essentials, the hatch closed and Zarbon set the chamber working.

"You should be done within two hours. I'll be back for you then." He turned to leave but stopped to look at Kibito. "Dragon, you can keep watch until I come back. I'll deal with you both when Frieza comes to his senses." Only Kibito really heard this though, because Noon was asleep in the chamber from the word "dragon". Zarbon turned and left, not knowing that would be the last time he would see either of them. His fight with Vegeta was nearing.

-----

"Needles! AH NO PLEASE! NOT THEM, _ANYTHING_ BUT THEM!"

"Oh get a grip Kakkarot. I'm not going to even give you a needle! And you call yourself a Saiyan." Vegeta continued a little further into the dark room before stopping, suddenly becoming wide-eyed.

"What in heck is that thing?" He was looking at the dragon; asleep on the floor in front of the chamber Vegeta wanted to get to. Krillin handed Gohan Goku's full weight before looking round Vegeta.

"Holy cow! I think that's Kibito, Gohan!"

"What? Oh gosh, yes! I see! It is him!" Both Gohan and Krillin exchanged glances. "You know what that means?"

"Yeah. It probably means the chamber is already in use."

"What are you twotalking about? I destroyed all of Frieza's men who were on the ship! You're telling me someone's in there?" He continued to peer and the dark glass. "I think it would be clearer if we put a light on in here. It usually comes on when the door opens, but it must have malfunctioned. Whoever it is in there has been there a while. As soon as I find out who it is, I'll blast them!"

"No Vegeta. There's no need."

"We'll see." He fiddled with the control panel next to the door for a moment, and the room suddenly filled with a flickering light. Immediately he looked over to the chamber, before almost choking on air. "No! Not her! I don't believe it!" Both Gohan's and Krillin's suspicions had been correct. "I can't believe Noon's here!"

"Who's that? One of Frieza's workers?"

"No dad. Well, not anymore. She knows you, I think."

"How can she know me? We've never even met." He looked back to where Noon was sat in the chamber, and stared directly into her open eyes. Slowly, she signalised with her hand to push a button at the bottom of the chamber. Kibito was awake now, but watched without complaint as Gohan pushed the large green button to let the water filter out through the bottom. When the hatch opened, she took her time to un-hook herself from it, staring at Goku all the while.

It was him. The Saiyan she had sent from Planet Vegeta. The one she'd dreamt about, pondered about for so many years. He was here now, in front of her, a full-grown man.

Kakkarot.

The gaze Noon and Goku kept was intense. Nobody in the room moved except for her. She stepped out of the chamber completely, whilst everyone else watched her. Not one of them knew why she was looking at him like that. It was a look across between complete awe and utter affection, sadness and joy all at the same time. It had been so long since she last saw him; she just couldn't believe it was him. There was no mistaking the fact though; he was an exact copy of his father.

When Noon realised everyone was staring at her, she focussed her attention on the other individuals. She looked at Gohan and Krillin, andshe felt relieved to see that they were ok. Then she looked at the next one.

"Vegeta."

"Well what _do_ we have here?" She frowned. Did _everyone _have to say that?

"A rather pissed off individual."

"Individual? Ha! You still don't even know what you are!"

"I'm sure it'll stay that way too."

"Yes, so am I. I don't think you'll last that long. I thought I'd put you out of your misery already."

"Guess you were wrong. I assume you're here for the same reason everyone else is."

"So, you want to make a wish to the dragon too? Oh, I wonder what that will be."

"Don't give me your sarcasm. I actually have no intension to make any sort of wish. I just need to have a word with this so-called "dragon."

"A word with the dragon? You sound pathetic."

"Really? And what are you planning to wish for?"

"I will be granted immortality."

Noon didn't reply. She was already planning how to stop him in her head.

"Well," She said finally. "What a surprising turn of events." She was looking at Goku specifically.

"Who…are you?"

"My name is Noon. And your name is Goku, am I correct?"

"That's right. But how do you know that?"

"Let's just say I've known you since you were a baby."

"On Earth?"

"No. Before you left your home planet."

"So you're a Saiyan!"

"No. I'm just Noon." She glanced at Vegeta. "Noon the individual."

Silence ensued after that, only the sounds of Gohan helping Goku into the chamber could be heard. Soon though, Noon found that there was a certain familiar noise that was unusually quiet. After another moment, every creature in the room jumped a mile into the air when Noon suddenly let out a piercing scream.

"What! What is it woman?" Noon turned to Vegeta, then to Kibito, and then began to look about the room.

"WHERE'S PUKKA! WHERE IS HE? OH KAMI, HE'S NOT IN THERE IS HE!" She pointed to the chamber Goku was now in, and began to look around him. She had an image of Pukka trapped in there, like a cat caught in a washing machine.

"Kibito, where's Pukka? Did Zarbon take him?" Kibito started suddenly, obviously realising that Zarbon did indeed take Pukka. In a flash Noon was gone from the room.

-----

It didn't take long for Noon to find Pukka. She had only searched half of the ship when she did so. In one of supply rooms, in a small cage was Pukka, fast asleep.

"Puuuuuukaaaaaaa." She said quietly through his cage. She didn't want to startle him. "Puuuuuukaaaaaaa." This time it worked, but he seemed buzzed, as though he'd just been poked with an electric pole. His eyes were wide, and he was staring strangely at Noon. When she became silent though, his eyes started to droop again.

"Puuuuuukaaaaaaa." This time, in a flash he was clinging to the top bars of his cage, looking around wildly. Noon giggled at the sight of him.

"Puuuuuukaaaaaaa. Puuuuukaaaaaa. Pukkaaa. Pukka. Pukka. PukkaPukkaPukka." She had never seen her friend like this before. He was all over the cage, upside down, clinging to every bar. He was going absolutely nuts. All she was doing was emphasizing his name. He hadn't always done this, had he? Then again, he had seemed to become alert every time she mentioned him. He was staring at her again now; so she thought she'd try something.

"PUKKAPUKKAPUKKAPUKKAPUKKAPUKKAPUKKA!" With every word of his name, Pukka bowed his head, squeaking all the while, which had Noon in a fit of laughter. Suddenly, the cage exploded in a funny wave of energy, probably from Pukka, to send him flying across the room with a loud squeal. He landed on the floor front first, sending his legs and tail almost over his head, and sliding about a foot across on it. Noon didn't have time to move between her sniggers before he was scrambling to his feet, claws struggling against the shiny surface, and had soon taken off down the corridor.

"Wait Pukka! Where are you going?"

She began to search once more for Pukka, much slower this time just in case he was hiding somewhere. Noon couldn't help regretting psyching him up like that; she had never seen him act so strange. Why would he react like that to his name? She stopped to think. Could it be this reaction that named _him_? Her musings were cut short soon though, when Vegeta's voice suddenly rang out.

"WOMAAAAN!"

"Oh no…" She ran to the room where the others still were, reaching the doorway in no time. Her face was serious with worry, but what she saw in there made her crack up again, joining Krillin and Gohan in their laughter.

"Woman! Get…this…bloody…lizard…off…me…" Pukka was clung, claws griping madly onto Vegeta's face. His fury only just visible beneaththe black scales. Vegeta was presently trying to pull Pukka off with both hands, without tearing his whole face off. With each pull Pukka would squeak. He wasn't comfortable, but he wasn't going to let go any time soon.

"Pukka! What are—?"

At the first mention of his name he flung himself off Vegeta's now mad red face, and landed belly first, limbsspread,onto the floor with a soft squish. He was up in a second though, and it seemed he had acquired a new target: Goku.

He passed Gohan and Krillin quickly, and all eyes followed as Pukka ran as fast as he could, looking much like an over-excited puppy, towards the chamber, head bobbing with every step. With a push of his hind legs he was up in the air with a great leap, aiming for Goku's face. He was almost at Goku, when he hit the glass separating them. With the same apparent squish he was flat against the glass, accompanied by a loudly defined thump. Inside the chamber the previously resting Goku started, and after opening his eyes, was met with the sight of a yellow under-belly of a rather stupid lizard.

With a defeated, and somewhat muffled squeak, Pukka flopped to the floor, before proceeding to chase his own tail. Before he could do any more damage to himself or anyone else, Noon took this chance to get a good hold of him around the mid-section, and she held him up in front of her at arms length as though she expected him to explode. Well…after that little display, she supposed anything could happen. She held him just above her, but Pukka was on the move again. He was running, but he wasn't going anywhere because Noon still had hold of him. Her hands held him under his front limbs, which, with his back ones, were flailing like mad. His mouth was open, but no sound was coming out. He was just trying to run under Noon's firm grip above a podgy stomach.

"Listen, little guy. You're not going anywhere." He kept running to nowhere. "Listen to me. Calm down." Pukka's legs began to slow in their circular motion, like a train coming to a halt at its station. Finally he stopped, and relaxed completely in Noon's hold.

"That's better. Now what just happened there?" No answer came from Pukka, who was now sleeping, but Vegeta certainly had something to say.

"I was just about to ask that myself." She looked at him, who was now cleaning up the cuts on his face.

"I'm not sure what happened, but may I suggest to all of you that you don't call him by his name too many times in one sentence, ok?"

"Well, sure ok, anything to prevent that from happening again. If he'd have come for me, my bald head would've stood no chance!" Krillin glanced nervously at the slumbering Pukka. "So, what now?"

"First of all, I say we kill that thing!"

"Now you know that isn't going to happen, Vegeta."

"Yeah, besides he is kinda cute!" Gohan was also looking at Pukka, glad he didn't latch onto his face.

"Well ok, we do the only other thing we can. We wait for Dende to bring the password. Then we can make our wishes. You wait outide, and I'll stay here with Kakkarot. _You _on the other hand can do as you wish. It's not like we were expecting you here anyway."

"That's fine. I'll just stay in here."

"Fine."

-----

After the two boys went outside the ship where the dragonballs were being kept, Vegeta sat by the chamber, and was soon asleep beside it. Noon decided on a comfortable corner of the room to sit, but was soon asleep herself purely out of boredom. Kibito was now in his usual place next to the chamber, and all seemed fairly normal. But it was not long before the Namekian boy known as Dende had shown up with the password, unbeknown to any in that room…

A/N: I'm curious to know what you're thinking. As bizzare as that chapter may have seemed, it was relevent to the story, which _will _get more interesting soon, I promise.


	8. Noon's secret

Chapter 7-Noon's secret

The sky is wonderful today, lilac with the fluffiest of fluffy clouds above a plain of evergreen luscious grass. It was quiet today; all life seemed to be at a standstill. Odd, it was never usually like this, this place. It is so beautiful, but I can hear nothing. I can normally hear everything, the birds, and the squirrels too. I can see them, but they make no sound. In fact, as I stare at them, they are motionless. They are staring back at me, eyes wide and unblinking. I can even see their steady breaths. Why are they looking at me this way? Is that the look of fear? Is it fear driving these creatures to such bizarre behaviour? They are backing away. It must be fear. They run from me, but I kill them instantly. I see their dead corpses, and then, darkness.

Nothing but darkness.

I hear laughter in the distance yet, it is so close. Is that my laughter? I do not recognise the voice I laugh with. It is wicked and cruel, like a child pulling the wings off a fly, and watching it writhe in pain whilst I laugh. The darkness begins to clear, and I no longer see the breath taking sight in front of me that, for some reason, I seemed to hate. Instead I see ice, and caverns of white. My vision is blurry. Why? I really couldn't tell you. I see a person in front of me. A girl. She is beautiful but I don't seem to care. She dresses like me, but her hair is white. Our eyes are similar, but mine are green and hers are black. We are so similar we could be sisters. I keep thinking about her, that is until I lunge forward to attack her.

I hit her hard, and she is sent back a very long way. What am I doing? I know she is one of my kind! I must stop attacking her and ask who she is, but I keep going. She throws punches and kicks at me, but she is no match for me in the end. I can see it in her eyes; this will be a fight to the end. She powers up a golden ball of ki, and throws it at me. I avoid it easily, and create one of my own. It is a huge ball of ki, bright pink in colour. I have no mercy as it hits the girl in front of me, and I can hear her screams of agony as it destroys her. I want to scream out, but it comes as laughter.

Suddenly I see a small looking creature, green and shrivelled.

"She was no match for you, was she?"

I don't listen to his strange voice but instead I fly away, but I don't know where I'm going next. The body I seemed to be trapped in however, does.

I see an old, squat man with a short blue Mohawk brandishing a sword next. I toy with him for a while, before he manages to cut me in half with his blade. He thinks he has won.

How wrong he is.

The look of shock is so evident on his face when I piece myself together. This can't be my body; I know I couldn't do that before. With one blast from my hand the man is dead, and at the feet of the short prune-looking man. That's two I've killed now, and it seems that I'm heading for another. Who are these people? I don't think I know any of them. But it's funny. I feel as though I've met them all before.

The next man I come across is a big one at that. He is the tallest one I've met yet. He looks strong, but this seems to excite me. We begin fighting, and I find this fight to be the toughest so far. He is the strongest and sturdiest I've seen, and I wait to see what I do. Within time my arm is pulled off completely, but it doesn't faze me in the slightest, and soon the man in the dark stiff-jacket, a stiff-jacket like my own, is down on the floor. This is when I take my opportunity. I see my hand transform and engulf the man. The pink slime heads my way, and I feel myself grow in size. I assume now that I have gotten stronger. I had absorbed him.

I'm flying back along the grass again now. Not much appears to be here. A tree, grass, two more trees and…oh! Something else _is _down there. As I get closer I realise what they are. The ground is littered with daises. Hundreds of them. I love daises, but also seem to hate them. I'm glad but feel somewhat irritated when I see I'm going near them. However, my happiness and my itchy annoyance are cut short when I land on them, my energy burning most of them away. I look around them, before kicking any living ones away. I am pleased with what I have done, but I feel my face stop smiling when I notice an energy signal up ahead near a willow tree atop a hill. It is a strong energy I sense, but strangely familiar.

I sharpen my eyesight towards the flourishing willow tree, and I see a shadow. I make my way to it, and I can hear myself snarling as I do so. Already I feel sorry for that person up ahead. I am close enough now to know that it is a person. I cannot see them properly, but I can see their eyes are narrowed, glistening in a strange light under the shade of the proud tree. The person talks to me without moving from their spot.

"You are a foul creature. You have no right to come to this planet. You have killed my friends and dishonoured our race." It was a woman's voice. I could tell she was angry. "Leave this planet at once." Her voice was calm, but a deadly low tone. There was something familiar about it. I laugh at her manically in that unfamiliar voice, and stay exactly where I am to show I wasn't going anywhere. I hear her draw a sword, but she sticks it in the ground beside her next to the tree. It appears she doesn't want to use it. Slowly, the woman steps out of the shadows, and a completely indescribable feeling hits my stomach. In a way it felt like it had disappeared altogether. I am staring into the face of someone very familiar. Dark green, and full of an unusual hatred, I am looking into the eyes of myself. I am looking into the eyes of Noon. Another Noon? No, not another Noon. That _is_ me. And so this body _must_ belong to someone else.

But who?

Why am I seeing these things?

_What is going on? _

I watch this Noon take a fighting stance. It looks as though I had been expecting me. Oh man, is this getting confusing. Soon we are fighting, and it seems that this Noon is holding her own. I keep up with her incredible speed though, and it seems like we've been fighting for hours now. I mean, I've cut off my head about three times now! The Noon I can see is starting to get tired, and I watch her for a minute. As I do so, I notice that there is no dragon on my ear, and no tail. Everything else is normal, except the fact that I appear to be a hell of a lot stronger. I use odd and purely unusual techniques throughout our battle, with an array of different coloured ki. It is fascinating to see me fight, but as I do, I see myself losing.

Eventually, the other Noon gets knocked down, and I immediately know what's going to happen. I go to the tree whilst she is on the floor, and I pick up the familiar sword, minus the dragon engravings, and without any hesitation, drive it into her heart. I hear my own scream for only a second before I know I'm dead. I feel shocked. I had just witnessed my own death. Murdered with my own sword.

I stoop to pick up the body, and carry it by the neck to the lake. From there, I throw it into the water, and watch it sink to the bottom. No one will find it there. As the water settles, the reflection of the sky reappears like a mirror image, and I seem to decide to look into it. I see whose body I am in.

The eyes that greet me, the sight of them will haunt me forever. The eyes of my killer. So it was his fault I was dead that whole eight thousand years. This information does not comfort me.

Darkness consumes me again, as I watch the once mighty willow tree wither and die in the distance.

-----

Noon woke with a start. Cold sweat poured down her now extremely pale face. It was just a dream.

Or was it?

No, it wasn't. Definitely. It was so real. Noon knew she had just seen her own death.

The room was very quiet. Kibito, Pukka, and Vegeta were all still fast asleep, and she was surprised she could hear their steady breathing through her own thumping heart. Her head was replaying the dream that she was quickly forgetting. Suddenly though, it was dark in there. Noon looked towards the window, which had stopped the light coming in very quickly. Too quick to be normal. She was staring at the window when she felt a very strange ki signal not too far away, so she ran to the window to look out of it. She couldn't really see properly, as the window was steamed, and she was trying to blink the remaining cold sweat from eyes. However, although her vision was somewhat blurry, she could still see something in the distance. A gold light on an island very close to the ship. This intrigued Noon greatly, and after wiping her brow thoroughly, and changing her clothing quickly, left Vegeta with Goku to investigate.

-----

It wasn't long after Noon had set off that both Gohan and Krillin sensed that she was coming. Not two seconds later, and she was stood next to them.

"Boy, am I glad you're on _our _side!"

"No kidding! Hey, how's it going Noon?"

When Noon didn't answer, the two of them looked at her, to see her looking more shocked than they've ever seen her. Her eyes were wide, and she staring at the dragon in front of her. Her head was bent as far back as it would go to be able to see him, and her mouth was hanging wide open. This surprised them both, but it was the dragon that surprised them more. When they looked back to him, they were quite shocked to see him looking similarly at her, only he was looking down.

"It has been many years Noon."

"You're not joking! I can't believe it's really you! I mean, I was expecting to see a dragon but…I never expected to see you again Porunga."

"I suppose you have some questions to ask."

"Well…yes I do, but it will obviously have to wait."

"So be it. What are your three wishes?"

"Three wishes?"

"Yes, that's right." The Namekian boy Dende spoke up, making Noon jump. She hadn't noticed he was there. "Porunga can grant three wishes, but unfortunately he cannot bring more than one person back to life per wish."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now will you please name your wishes before Vegeta gets here!"

-----

"So Piccolo is really here? But where?"

"He is on this planet. Do you doubt my power?"

"No. No, of course not. I just find it hard to believe."

"If that is the case, then you have truly lost your memory."

"Well, things are starting to come back to me." Noon looked down at her feet. At her silence, Porunga once again addressed the others.

"Please name your third wish."

"Do you have a third wish guys?"

"Not that we can think of."

"Porunga!" Everyone jumped. They weren't expecting a sudden outburst from Noon. "How did I die?"

"I…believe you already know the answer to that."

"So that wasn't a dream after all."

"No. You saw how you, and how most of your kind died all those years ago."

"So…does that mean you know that "kind"?"

"No. I'm sorry, but I was never permitted such information. I share my powers and knowledge with the elder, and he knows not who you are."

"I understand. But please answer me this. It was you who I was led to believe revived me. Is this true?"

"No." Noon hung her head. It seems her little discussion with the dragon would be less fulfilling than she had first assumed. "But I know who did. You had a conversation with him did you not?"

"Oh. Him. I should have expected as much from him. I thought it peculiar when he appeared on Planet Plant, just after I had been revived. It was he?"

"Yes. But there was also another. A person I'm sure you'll meet soon. But I see there is something else on your mind."

"Tell me truthfully." Porunga nodded his great head. "How long do I have left?"

"Five, maybe six years. You'll know better when the time nears."

"Six years max! It can't be!"

"It is so. You have been alive for longer than you must think."

"Oh no. No no no. I know how long I've been living now. Every century has passed like seconds to me. Do you know how many _people _there are in the universe? I mean, for crying out loud, finding one is going to take more than just a few centuries! I've practically been kept in captivity for Kami only knows how long! I just didn't have enough time to start with!"

"I think…that may have been the point."

"What? You mean someone's set me a damn near impossible task, with a limited time to do it. Is that right?"

"It would seem that way."

"Er…excuse me." Krillin nervously intervened. "But…what on Earth is going on here? Six years until what?"

Noon took a deep breath. "In six years I will be dead. For sure. And I really don't want to go into any details, but I aint lookin' forward to it."

"What do you mean for sure? Isn't there any way of stopping it?"

Noon could sense Vegeta heading their way, so she sped up everything she had to say.

"Well when I first found myself on Planet Plant, the dark dragon warned me of said death. When I asked if there was any way of stopping it, he told me there was one person who could, but of course he wouldn't tell me who."

"One person? In the entire universe!"

"That's right."

"Boy, that's a difficult job. Do you have any idea who it could be?"

"I have a feeling it's my kind, my species. Maybe even my family. This dragon here on my ear represents the time I have left. When it reaches where it's going, time is up."

"So you've been looking for your home planet the whole time?"

"Yep."

"So, do you think you'll do it?"

"Are you kidding me? I think someone just wants me to die. And painfully at that." They fell silent for a moment.

"Oh Noon, you have _no _idea."

Everyone jumped this time. Even Porunga looked a little hasty at the sudden new voice. Noon couldn't place it to anyone, but in a way she knew it was familiar. It was low and husky. A female voice.

"I wouldn't put too much faith in _all _of your family."

"_All_ of my family?"

"Don't worry Noon. It's only _one _of your siblings who wants you dead."

"Who are you?"

"Why don't you turn around and see? I'm sure you'll recognise me." Noon turned slowly to see exactly who was talking to her, and sure enough, she recognised her. Lavender skin, mischievous lips, and dark red hues, Noon was staring into the face of her sister.

* * *

A/N: Kind of a quick chapter, that one. Sorry about that, but I need to get this story moving!

Please Review


	9. Dusk

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I know the next chapter or two may seem rushed, but there is certain information we all already know, so I missed some stuff out already mentioned in the manga/anime. (Which by the way I do not own).

Oh! Certain characters I know people are expecting to see will turn up soon. I promise. I'll try to update as soon as possible!

* * *

Chapter 8 - Dusk 

"I know who you are." Noon stated flatly into the face of her sister.

"Oh, well done Noon. I seems your memory isn't at a complete loss. Shame really."

Noon thought she should be happy to meet her family. Or at least part of her family. But somewhere in the back of her mind a sense of foreboding had made itself present. Her last words, "shame really" held an ambience of bitterness. Noon got the feeling she really meant that.

"Do you know my name?" Noon thought for a few moments, before an interruption in the form of a sigh stopped her train from moving. "Maybe you are going daft. My name is Dusk."

"Dusk. Yes that makes sense."

"What was your mothers' name? Dawn?" Both Noon and Dusk looked at Krillin, who instantly regretted making his little joke. He was looking at Dusk in particular, who was eyeing him with obvious distaste.

"We do not have a mother. Our kind don't have parents. Ever."

"So you know who we are?"

"Of course. But I'd be blowing years of effort and amusement if I told you now." She looked back at Krillin. "What a weak little shrimp. I'll get him out of the way." She held up her hand, before powering up a ki ball powerful enough to wipe Krillin out. She was stopped, however, when Noon grabbed her wrist.

"What are you playing at? Stop it!" Dusk retracted her ki, before frowning at her sister.

"I was just trying to have a little fun. Humph. Why'd you have to be the oldest? They always get their way!" She pouted, and Noon was reminded of a spoiled child.

"I'm the eldest?"

"Well, older than me, yes. We did have a much older brother, but he died many years ago. So I guess that makes you the oldest."

"Are you the youngest? Or are there others?"

"I have a twin brother, so technically we are the youngest together. But that really doesn't matter because I doubt you'll ever see him."

"How are you so sure?"

"I'll make sure." She grinned nastily at Noon. Now she understood.

"You brought me back, didn't you! You and the dark dragon!"

"Maybe." Her answer didn't justify the look on her face. Noon knew she did it.

"Why?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out before you die."

"What is it? Are you jealous or something?" Dusk turned once again to Krillin, anger plain on her face, but only for a second. Her face calmed, and she gave Krillin a small smirk.

"Of course not." She looked at Noon. "Sure, she may be older, and probably stronger too. But at least I'm better looking."

Not one person standing around the dragon could argue with that one. Each one looked at Noon, and then to Dusk, silently comparing the two, but always coming up with the same conclusion. She was right. Noon had looks, but her sister had beauty each person doubted they had ever encountered before. Her full lips curled into a slight smile when she sensed them all squirm inwardly with the awkward moment. She had straight hip-length white hair, which curved around her flawless features. It was full of life, and brushed over one of her almost black dark red eyes. She dressed differently to Noon, and her choice of clothing outlined her naturally perfect curves. However, Noon had a kind and gentle face, and the others assumed she could make friends easier without having to seduce them. Although Noon's beauty wasn't exactly questionable. Someone who could have the likes of Frieza or his family after them wasn't exactly ugly.

"Yes, I guess you're right." Is what finally came from Noon's mouth.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" Everyone turned to see Vegeta, a vein clearly bulging from his head. He started to storm his way to Porunga, but stopped to scowl at Dusk.

"Who is _this_?"

Dusk returned his scowl with a look of utter disgust.

"_What _is _that_?" Noon had to suppress a grin with that one. Vegeta did _not _look happy. He was literally shaking with anger.

"_I _happen to be a Saiyan Prince. And yourself?"

"Ah, so you're a monkey boy? I'm Noon's sister."

"Monkey boy! Why you've got some nerve! I—"

"Hey, chill out. I didn't say I had anything against them. I even chose a Saiyan tail to stick onto my sister here."

"So you did that?"

"What? Oh yeah! I stuck a tail on you as a little disorientation method. Also, it gave you some sort of power so you didn't die too quickly."

"Delightful. So you brought me back, stuck a tail on me and called me something else for your own amusement."

"Yeah, something like that. Actually I got bored after the first century or two. It seems Porunga tried to protect you. He gave you a little time extension."

"But I thought you said you didn't want me to die too quickly."

"I meant in battle or something. If you let your time run out, I can assure you that you wont die quickly. But Porunga gave you too long so I have to wait. Stupid dragon."

"Hey! What's happening to Porunga?"

Vegeta had passed the two sisters once they had begun to talk, and had tried to seize his opportunity of the last wish. However, it seemed as though it was too late. Porunga was dieing. In a wave of green smoke the great dragon was gone, and the dragonballs turned to stone. The Namekian boy understood. Namek's elder, Guru, had died.

"Pah! Good riddance! I never liked him anyway!"

"Why you…" Noon hit her sister hard, and she was sent far, far back. She stopped herself in mid-air, and regained her composure so she didn't fall into the water below her. She rubbed the side of her face, and wore a look of discontent. Noon didn't have much time to think before Dusk was in front of her, brandishing her own fist. She was fast. Oblivious to what was going on around them, the two sisters became locked in a fight. Noon had searched the whole time since she had been revived for her family, and it saddened her knowing it was her sister who set up this damn near impossible task.

But of course that was the point, it _was_ impossible.

She just wanted Noon dead.

And this angered her very, very much.

A whole new wave of fury upon her, Noon powered up, much to the amazement of the others, and began fighting Dusk with her newfound ferocity. Within moments she had beaten Dusk straight to the ground, and it took all the willpower Noon had not to destroy her whilst she was down.

"Why the sudden outburst Noon? Not happy to see me?"

"You say we have another brother. Is he like you?"

"Oh, no he isn't." Noon let out a small breath. At least there was still hope within her little brother. "You have no need to concern yourself, though. You will never see him."

"I might meet him someday."

"Maybe so. But you will never see him." Noon looked into the calm face of Dusk, confusion written all over her features.

"But that doesn't make any—"

"Well…what _do_ we have here?"

"Oh no."

Noon and Dusk turned to see where the voice came from, but Noon already knew who was addressing them. It _was_ his favourite phrase after all. Sure enough, there was Frieza. Arms crossed, and a look of menace clear on his lips. Noon imagined that he wasn't too happy about the sudden disappearing of Porunga. The two sisters looked at each other, before going over to stand in front of him.

"Who is this?" Dusk addressed Noon, pointing her finger quite blatantly at Frieza.

"Erm…that's Frieza."

"Oh…ok."

"And who might you be?"

"I'm—"

"Nobody. She's nobody. Really. Don't worry about her." Noon let go of Dusk slowly.

"What's the big deal? Why can't I tell him who I am?"

"Just don't."

"Why should I do anything _you _tell me?"

"Just listen to me, ok?"

"No."

"Yes"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Excuse me, but if you're going to argue like idiots, please leave the premises. Besides, as soon as I get my way, I'll destroy this planet."

"I'm not leaving!"

"Noon!" Noon looked to Gohan, who was waving frantically at her. "Get out of here whilst you can!"

"Yes. It seems that you two have unresolved issues. Leave now, and I'll deal with you later." Noon looked back to Frieza, not quite believing that he was letting her go. But the "I'll deal with you later" part told her she would be meeting him again. Still, she didn't want to leave her friends.

"Noon, go now!"

"Yes Noon, come on. This Frieza guy is right. We certainly have unresolved issues. I found a spaceship for one up ahead I can use, and I'm sure you have one. Let's go somewhere we can let off some steam."

" We don't have to do that Dusk. Just answer some questions."

"Sorry, you will not get answers so easily." With that, she had taken off. Now Noon had no choice but to leave after her, if she was ever going to get anywhere. With one last look at her friends, and some reassuring nods from them, Noon was gone. Heading for her space pod, somehow knowing they would all be ok. All of them.

-----

Yet again the day was fresh upon Earth, and Gohan longed to be out in the open. His studying was becoming tiresome, and he found it hard to concentrate. He was thinking about his father too much. His mind replayed his experience on Namek that, for some reason, felt like so long ago. He would remember Krillin, his father, Piccolo, and himself, fighting what seemed an impossible fight against Frieza. Within no time at all one would be down on the ground, and one dead by merciless hands. And then, the transformation. His father had become a Super Saiyan, and it seemed Frieza was dead for good. With the planet Namek destroyed, Gohan wanted only to see his father again. He had been gone for so long, and, evidently, so had Noon.

The other Z fighters had returned, but not her.

Gohan sighed. His ordeal with his tutor, Mr. Shou, was really enough for one week. Little did he know when he answers the ringing phone, he would be in for a second nasty surprise.

Frieza was back in the neighbourhood.

-----

Everyone stared in the same direction, fear clear on all of their faces. The Z fighters had just watched as Frieza's ship landed, and felt his power, teamed with that of King Kold's. With a terrible feeling in each of them, they began to make their way to where the ship now was.

-----

"When you find them…show no mercy."

"Yes sir!"

As each of Frieza's men advanced, they were cut down. Surprised, both Frieza and his father looked up to see a mysterious looking young boy, with a deadly serious expression.

"Ah, so you must be Frieza. I've been waiting a long time to meet you face-to-face."

"Well, it seems we have a guest." King Kold eyed the boy with interest, but it seemed he was preoccupied. It appeared as though he was waiting for something, his gaze fixed upon the sky. Both Frieza and Kold looked up to see what was so interesting, but saw nothing but cloud. Until…

'3…2…1' "Right on time."

The two ice-jin looked back to the young man to see him looking quite anxious. Soon enough, a very distinctive noise could be heard throughout all of the mountainous region, and two similar space pods soon joined the three fighters. They crashed simultaneously into a nearby mountain, and the two pilots flunked out of them. Slowly they orientated themselves, and joined the young man out of curiosity. Dusk was the first to speak.

"Is that _Frieza_? Wow, did he get funky or what?"

"Funky?" She turned to Noon.

"Yeah. Look at that slim lined body!"

"Oh, boy."

Dusk turned her head to look at the young man they had just joined.

"And who is _this_? He's hot!"

"You're not supposed to say things like that!"

The young man soon got rid of his blush, and sheathed his sword, aiming it at the two. He pointed it to Noon, and then to Dusk.

"Dusk, and Noon."

"What? Did you just call me Dusk?"

"Noon? Don't make me sick."

"Show me your feathers."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard."

Slowly Dusk pulled at the sleeve of her dark blue shirt, to reveal grey feathers outlining her wirsts. Noon only had to move for the youth to notice her wings.

The young man smirked, before backhanding Dusk, rendering her unconscious instantly.

"Why didn't I do that?"

"Here. There's some things she needs to tell you." He handed Noon her sister roughly, but blushing slightly. "Sorry about that, but I needed to make sure I got the right one." Noon laughed lightly before regaining her serious expression."You need to get away from here, just until I take care of these guys. We need to talk once Goku gets here." Understanding fully, and realising this guy could really take Frieza down, Noon left to find the others.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! 


	10. Fate with weaknesses

A/N: Hey everyone thanks for the reviews! This is my shortest chapter yet, so sorry about that. It's just a quick chappy really. I hope to get the next one up soon!

* * *

Chapter 9 – Fate with weaknesses 

"Hey! I knew I could trust you guys!" Noon placed her sister on the floor and ran over to Gohan and Krillin, who were smiling at her broadly. Stood in between the two of them, was Kibito. She bent down and embraced the dragon who, in his own way, returned it.

"Wait a sec." Noon's smile faltered slightly. "Where's Pukka?"

Krillin sniggered. "I don't know Noon. Why don't you call him?" Noon looked at him suspiciously. Something about the way he said that sounded sneaky.

"Well…ok."

-----

"I'm sorry."

"Save it."

"No. Seriously, I had no idea."

"I said save it."

"Piccolo—"

"No. Just keep that damn lizard away from me. Understand?"

"Yes."

The red glow was still visible on Piccolo's cheeks as he stared daggers at Pukka. The lizard was currently slumped on Noon's shoulder, obviously tired from his little biting session. Noon reminded herself to give Krillin a good slap for telling her to call him, for he had gone mad once again, promptly aiming for Piccolo's antennae. She had no idea that Pukka was hiding in his cape the whole time, and in a flash, had managed to scurry under the turban-like headpiece of Piccolo's attire. Piccolo was not happy. They had set off on the wrong foot, and now things had just been made worse.

Noon looked nervously back to Piccolo, but it seemed something had caught his attention. The fireworks had started.

"What if it's my dad?"

"Where could someone with this much power have come from?"

"It isn't Goku." Everyone looked at Noon.

"And how would you know, woman?"

"Because I've already seen who it is. Come on. I think we should get closer."

"And how do you suggest we do that, hmmm? We need to keep our power levels down so they don't find us!"

"I am well aware of that, Vegeta. But I have a technique where we can get closer, within seconds, and without putting out too much energy."

"Are you serious?"

"Sure. I did it by accident whist fighting with my sister. She seemed angry other than surprised, though. It leads me to believe that it was once a technique of mine before I died. I've just…rediscovered it."

"And you can do that now?"

Noon held out her hand, signalling for someone to take hold. Gohan stepped forward, and once the two were attached, disappeared. The others looked around, and were surprised to see the two up ahead. A very long way up ahead.

-----

Noon made her last trip up to where the others were stood, and placed Dusk back onto the ground. From where they were now, everyone could see Frieza, his father, and another man they did not recognise. They were the only ones who did see him however, because Frieza believed he had won.

"Well done Frieza. It only took you four tries to destroy that little boy!"

"I was just warming up, father. Really!"

"Oh, of course son, of course!"

"HEY FRIEZA!"

The whole group watched in awe, and in fear as the young man disposed of Frieza and his father easily.

"Let's just hope he doesn't decide to come after us!"

The young man turned to face them, and Krillin freaked out a little.

"I'm heading off to a place near here to meet Goku! Would you guys like to come?"

"What? How weird! How does he know about my father?"

"Come on! It's this way! Goku should be arriving in a couple of hours!"

-----

"What are you staring at?"

"Oh…it's just that I…like your shirt."

"You would."

-----

"Maybe Goku met this guy somewhere out in space, choutzu. He has been gone a while."

"But he told Gohan that he'd never met Goku, Tien."

"But how could he know the exact spot Goku is going to land, two hours before he even arrives?"

"Maybe he's wrong. Maybe he's not coming." Yamcha looked to the sky. Bulma followed his gaze.

"Well the only way to find out is to wait two hours, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well how long has it been?"

"One hour."

"Well then…JUST CHILL OUT FOR ONE MORE HOUR!"

"WELL YOU CAN FIND ANOTHER RIDE HOME!"

"FINE!"

-----

"Well, that's it. Two hours have passed. Goku should be arriving any second now."

"Really?"

"Oh my gosh, Tien!"

"I know. I feel it too Choutzu!"

Sure enough, within moments, Goku's ship could be seen.

"DAD!"

"Last one there's a rotten egg!"

Noon watched with interest as the newly landed pod began to open, and could feel the tension amongst the others. But the tension turned to joy as Goku stepped out of the pod, looking quite confused at the jumping and cheering bodies.

"Uh…hey guys. How exactly did you know I was gonna be here?"

"This guy told us. I think he might be I fan of yours. He's a mystery man."

"He knows all about you daddy!"

"Huh? But how?"

"He knew the exact time and place of your arrival, Goku!"

"But that's impossible! We've never even met!"

"Goku?"

"Hmm?"

"Could I have a word with you?"

"With me?"

"Yes. Just the two of us."

"…Alright then."

"Oh…I think you should come too." Noon looked at him surprised.

"Me?"

"Yes. There is something you really ought to know."

"Hey! What's this guy trying to say?"

"Don't worry guys. We'll be right back."

Dusk was beginning to come around, so Noon left her where she was to follow Goku.

-----

Noon listened as the young man, whose name was Trunks, as he explained to Goku how he was from the future. A Saiyan with Vegeta's blood. He explained about the androids appearing in three years time, on an island 9 miles southwest of South City, and then the death of the Z fighters. He explained about his master, Gohan, and his death four years ago his time. He showed his Super Saiyan abilities to Goku, and Goku showed his. Finally, he told Goku who his mother was.

"BULMA'S YOUR MOTHER!"

Trunks, blushing furiously, got them back to the conversation he needed, by giving Goku an antidote for a heart disease he was due to contract. When Trunks appeared to be finished explaining everything, Noon finally asked what happened to her, and if she died during the battle.

"No. You do not even turn up." Was his answer.

"What do you mean? Do I die before it?"

"Er…no. You die…well…by that." He pointed to the dragon on her ear. "The way someone intended."

"This? So I die after the battle?"

"Yes. But not by much. In about three-and-a-half years you will be dead. It is hard to say exactly how long. Gohan was the one who found you. He…knew that was how you died, but…he never really wanted to talk about it. It appeared that…well…"

"It's horrible, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. But the thing you should know is…the dragon got it wrong. You don't have six years. You had four from the point you spoke to him."

"So I never find who I'm looking for?"

"Noon, I'm sorry to say this, but they don't even exist. I don't know what your sister has told you, but you are searching for nobody. She teamed up with the dark dragon to use his power against you. It was all just a cruel game that got taken too far. They even put a Saiyan tail on you."

"Did you ever find out who I was? Or why she did that?"

Trunks shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I never found out who, or what, you were. Dusk left after you died, disappointed that you were hidden whilst you did so. As for why she did it, I think she was jealous of something. She just wanted to see you suffer, and in the end…no one did. You died alone."

Noon sighed deeply.

"That's not all."

"There's more?"

"There is something else you really must know…"

-----

Both Goku and Noon walked slowly back to the others, contemplating what Trunks had told them. When they reached the others, they were obviously interested to know what the boy had said. But it wasn't Goku or Noon who had explained it all, it was Piccolo. It took him a while to recite most of what Trunks had said, but Noon noticed that he left certain things out. With the news about the androids spread amongst them, the Z fighters soon separated to train. With only Bulma and Yamcha, and Piccolo, Goku, Gohan, and Noon left, Piccolo turned to Noon. Speaking to her properly for the first time.

"I'm sorry."

"What about?"

"About the news you received from Trunks."

"Oh, my death? I was expecting that to happen at some point. I just had that little bit of hope that's all."

"But you weren't expecting the other?"

"No I wasn't. It appears that this dragon has cursed me. I'm not even sure Dusk knew that would happen."

"I'm sure she did."

_---You say we have another brother. Is he like you? _

_Oh, no he isn't. You have no need to concern yourself though, you will never see him. _

_I might meet him some day. _

_Maybe so. But you will never see him.---_

"Yes, actuallynow I think about it,I'm sure she did too."

"Hey, Noon. Why don't you train with us?"

"Really? I would love that Goku."

"You could live with us!"

"Yeah, sure kid. But I'll only be staying for…I'd say…two years or so."

"Will you come to fight the androids?"

"Sure. I'll be there."

"Two years? Is that how long it'll take?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. I'll train with you guys until it happens, but then I think I'll spend some time at home with these two." She nodded her head at Pukka and Kibito.

"Alright! Then it's all set. Oh! And Bulma, hope you have a healthy baby!" With that thefour of them took off, followed closely by Kibito. Pukka sat on his head.

-----

"Piccolo?"

"What's wrong Noon?"

"The outlines have gone."

"You mean everything's blurry?"

"No, not exactly." She was talking quietly. "But there's less of a contrast between objects and colours. Everything is just a bit mingled."

"Well, just try to relax, ok? We'll be settling down to eat soon."

"Alright."

-----

"Piccolo?"

"Yes, Noon? What's happening now?"

She made her way slowly to the dinner table to sit down, and Piccolo followed.

"See this table? I know off hand that the grain is a mixture of different browns, yes? But I just see one. All the different tones have merged into one. Every colour I see is multi-tonal. It's all 2 dimensional to me. I've lost my sense of depth because I can't see shadows."

"Can you still keep your balance? Are you orientated?"

"Yes. So I can still train." She gave Piccolo a half smile "Don't rule me out of your regiment yet, Piccolo."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Thanks."

-----

"Piccolo?"

"Are you ok?" Noon was staring at her feet. "What is it?"

"It's just light and dark now. Just silhouettes against the sun, really."

"How long has it been?"

"Almost two years now. But I refuse to stop my training."

Piccolo gave her an admiring smirk.

"As you wish, Noon."

-----

"P-Piccolo? Goku?"

"Noon?"

She reached out, and took his arm.

"Oh, Piccolo." Piccolo looked down at Noon, to see silent tears streaming down her face, her eyes a bizarre pale colour, as opposed to her usual dark hues. "Trunks was right. Everything's gone."

"Everything? Has it been two years already?"

"Umm hmm." She nodded, before wrapping her arms around Goku, who was stood by them, allowing herself to cry freely. She held the dragon on her chest tightly. "It hurts, Goku. It really hurts."

Goku cupped her chin so he could look into her eyes. "You can't see anything?"

"No Goku." She let out a small sob. "I'm completely blind."

* * *


	11. Time for the Androids

A/N: A huge thanks to aquasage for the advice! I've taken it immiediately, and I hope this is a little better!

* * *

Chapter 10 – Time for the Androids

With training, eating, many close friendly talks, and 5 driving attempts come and gone, 3 years had finally passed. Piccolo and Noon had become close friends, and she was able to tell Goku how she knew him from birth. He immediately thanked her for sending him off Planet Vegeta, and from there the two became quite inseparable. Chi-chi, she discovered, was really quite the character. She found her little rants and raves highly amusing, and appreciated the meals she cooked every night with her classic, charming personality.

It didn't take Gohan long to learn that Noon was sick, and so she had sat him down, and explained that she would die very soon. She told him of everything Trunks had told her, minus any sickening details of her demise. At first he had taken to spending a few days on his own to think. His mind ran over the fact that it was he who discovered her in the end.

It had appeared that Noon was handling her new disability well, although she preferred not to call it that. She had continued training hard, but both Piccolo and Goku could sense her life force diminishing. What Trunks had proclaimed was true; Noon was certainly going to die. But it seemed that she wasn't willing to give up easily. She had trained all through the day, and all through the night. However, it was noticed that her training regime was changing as time went by. Her training throughout the day was lessening, her nights spent longer asleep, and she had begun to skip meals. By the time three full years had passed, she didn't eat at all, and she couldn't help but sleep through the majority of each day and night.

-----

It was May 12th at last. 09.45am 9 Miles Southwest of South City, The Z fighters waited. 10.00am soon rolled round, but there was still no sign of the androids. However, there were at least 4 people up on that cliff that knew Trunks wasn't wrong. They already had evidence. The hopes of the others soon vanished when they discovered Noon was blind. A prediction made by the very same young man.

The Z fighters decided amongst them that they would split up to search, and so they did. Noon on the other hand had no idea as to what to do. If she went with them to search, how would she be able to tell who were androids and who weren't? It wasn't as though androids had any sort of energy to sense, and she didn't have sight to help her. Blindness was starting to irritate her, frustrate her. Even more so when she eventually _did_ join the search party, plodding about the streets without a clue, and then, about as gracefully as an elephant, walk right into a lamppost.

That shouldn't have hurt, but for some reason, it did. She wished she had been concentrating. If she had, she'd have been able to avoid it.

Soon walking was becoming difficult, and Noon couldn't ignore the burning pain in her chest. She had a nasty feeling that her stay in the living world was over its time limit. She stopped to lean against a wall, and started to find it hard to catch her breath. It was when Goku spotted her, and told her to go home for a while, that she realised how truly pathetic she must have looked. But despite her pride, she took his advice. She decided it was time to go home.

-----

Once collecting both Pukka and Kibito from the cliff she had left them, the three of them set off towards their old home. Or more accurately, Kibito carried Noon on his back, whist Pukka sat upon his head. When they reached the home they had not been to for three years, Noon felt a huge wave of relief. If she was to die, so be it. But she wanted to die here. Her home.

She started to walk slowly across the soft grass, her boots now discarded, and she smiled at the softness of it. It was then she realised how much her other senses had enhanced. Her sense of touch doing so the most. Soon the rest of her clothes were away, and she lay naked in the slightly damp, lush blades. She decided to use her blindness as an advantage, and so she began to teach herself…

-----

Noon sat beneath the small tree in her home like she had been doing for the past few days now. She wasn't actually sure how it was since she left her home, but she felt as though she couldn't do otherwise. She felt useless and weak. She chose not to fly where possible, but she could still walk about perfectly. She just felt extremely tired…and then there was the pain in her chest. Every now and then Kibito would fly in with some sort of report; first was Dr. Gero, then the appearance of the androids, then that there were three not two of them. Noon noticed the familiar noise of Kibito flying in, but she wasn't sure what to expect. When he told her what was happening right now, she had no idea that it would be right outside her waterfall.

"There's someone outside drinking? A creature? What's wrong with that?"

_This creature is a strange one. I do not think he can be trusted. Can you not sense him? He has been causing trouble amongst the Z fighters, I think. Please be careful. I have heard that there is another creature on the loose. His name is Cell, and he is worse than the androids. _

Kibito continued to explain everything he knew about this "Cell". "Oh, I see." Noon replied simply. "I'd better check it out then. I'll go the river way, so I can meet whoever is drinking from it." With that, she walked towards where she knew exactly where the entrance to beneath the waterfall was, and flopped into the cold water. She swam slowly through the multi-coloured life forms, her sash billowing out behind her,before surfacing. She quickly got out of the water, and stood herself on one side of the bank. On the other, she could hear a strange sound. It sounded as though someone was indeed drinking. There was no response from them, so Noon decided to speak first, hoping it wasn't this "Cell" creature.

"Hey! Don't eat any of my fish there, will you!" The creature looked up, and stared sceptically at the female creature in front of him. He eyes met hers, and he raised an eyeridge at her bizarre clothing.

"I have no desire to do that." The creature replied shortly. Noon ears pricked up. The creatures' voice was raspy, and odd in many ways. Noon had never heard such a voice, but she decided it was a male voice.

"Oh, well that's g—" She didn't finish that sentence. Before she could, she felt something move through the air, and luckily she avoided it. "Oh, I see, its that damn tail. Is your name Cell?"

The creature narrowed his eyes at Noon "You are a fighter?"

"Yes. And you are Cell?"

"Yes. Although you won't need that information for long, because soon you will be a part of me."

"Ah, yes. Your absorption?"

"How did you know that?"

"A friend told a friend. Saiyan to dragon."

"Saiyan? So you know the Z fighters, do you? Are you one of them? A female member of the Z senshi?" He let out a small chuckle.

"Yes, I am."

"Well, I know all about them. I have the information all locked up in here." He placed a hand on his chest, but for obvious reasons Noon did not see this. "I have the cells of the greatest fighters inside of me."

"Really? Then how is it that you do not know me?" A long pause followed. "Do your cells not tell you?"

Cell thought for a moment, and brought all of the information he knew to the surface. From it, he learnt many new things.

"Your name is Noon, a once-dead respected warrior and dragon protector. Kold's cells tell me this. It seems he knows a lot about you, Noon."

"Yeah." Noon replied in awe.

"What is it?"

"Oh it's just I've don't remember ever meeting anyone who called me by my name from the start. I mean, I've had Saiyan, dear, woman, monkey freak, feathery thing…allsorts really. You're the first."

"Yes…well I'm delighted." Cellresponded sarcastically. "To be honest, I couldn't care less about your name, I just want a decent fight.. You see, I've never fought a woman before, the thought intrigues me."

"I'm in no state to fight."

Cell stayed quiet once again, and soon found out why from Goku's much later cells. He recalled the conversation he and Trunks had about her death in her home, and he knew now that she was blind. Althogh as he looked at Noon again, hands on hips, boot tapping impatiently, he saw that her eyes were meeting his. It made him unsure as to whether the information he just dragged out was wrong. He dismissed the thought however, when something else had caught his mind.

"Ah, perfect. Piccolo and Android 17 are fighting. This is my chance." He turned to a puzzled Noon. "I'll be back. I hope you can reconsider our little fight. Not that you have a choice. I'm afraid my curiosity has the best of me." With an evil grin at Noon,not completely sure whether she could see it or not, Cell took off not caring, leavingher alone with her river full of fish once again.

* * *


	12. Daisies and Cabbages

* * *

Chapter 11 – Daisies and cabbages

Cell sighed loudly to himself, the wind rushing by him as he flew through the air. His eyes searched for an ideal location for his tournament, or the "Cell games" as he thought of it. The day had been a long one, but certainly profitable. He paused in mid-air to briefly scan an area of fields, the setting sun casting shadows along his pale angular face. He crossed his large arms over his muscular shiny black chest, before spotting a city nearby.

"No. This will not do." He said to no one but himself. "Too many humans."

As he flew once again at great speeds in no particular direction, his mind began to run through his day. First there was android 17. Once he had absorbed him, he was desperate to reach his goal: perfection. And then there was Vegeta, and Trunks, but both had been foolish. Vegeta had allowed him to absorb 18, and Trunks couldn't even catch him because of his bulkiness. He had then sparked up the idea of a tournament, for the Z fighters to fight him, so he could test out his strength. Killing the helpless quickly grows old, after all.

As he pondered about the Z fighters, he came across a large stretch of land, with just one house in the area. To the left, was just plain horizon, to the right Cell could just see desert, and ahead of him, there seemed to be just some cavernous region. In the distance he could see a large river, lots of grassland, and a waterfall. The whole area looked unoccupied, that is apart from the one house.

"One human, is still one too many. I'll have to clear some of this ground away first."

With a raise of his hand, and a smirk on his face, the area in front of him was reduced to nothing more than a barren wasteland. Just the way he wanted it. He looked over towards a nearby mountain, and used his energy to lift it, cut it down, and place it beneath him on the ground.

"Yes, this will make a strong floor."

As the sentence spilled from his mouth, the excitement began to build within him, and he imagined himself fighting with Goku. As his mind wondered back once again to the Z fighters, each name running through his head, he noticed quite blatantly that each one was male. Well, he guessed Piccolo was male, anyway. He soon realised how boring that truly was, and that there should be a female fighter somewhere on Earth. He thought for a moment, before the smirk made a quick reappearance on his face. It was then that he remembered Noon, by the river, by the waterfall. He looked ahead of him towards the cavernous region. His pink eyes twinkling, he set off towards them, ready to persuade a certain female to take part in his little tournament.

-----

Cell stood by the river, in the same spot he did a day or two before. He eyes traced a green and yellow fish for a while, wondering if this was where the female lived. He remembered her coming from within the water. He followed the river's trail one way, to find that it became a lake after about two miles. To his right, was a waterfall, and he was sure she had come from behind there.

'_Behind_ the waterfall? Is that even possible?' He frowned as he thought about this, and looked up towards where the water was coming from. Quickly he made his way up there, to see the water running around a large hole. He couldn't see the bottom. 'Perhaps she lives here. I think I'll sneak up on her. I don't want her to know I'm here just yet.' With that thought in place, he flew back down to the waterfall, and dived into the water.

When he surfaced slowly, he was mildly surprised at what he saw in front of him, but decided this was probably where Noon lived. He stepped out of the water silently, and walked slowly and carefully, as not to let anyone hear the squeak of his feet. He knew about Noon's hearing, and he didn't want to be discovered yet. He made his way through the soft grass, and towards the two separate tunnels. Down one, he could hear a slight rumbling, and came to the conclusion thatit was Kibito, of whom Cell knew lived here. It sounded as though he was sleeping. The sun had already set, after all. Down the other tunnel, was silence. Being the smart android that he is, Cell decided to go down the tunnel _without _a protective dragon.

Making his way down the tunnel, he started to notice engravings on the wall, mainly of dragons, and also the fact that the air was becoming thicker. Wisps of steam were now circling through the air, making Cell more curious than ever. Soon enough, a large area came into his view, and he saw that it obtained a large hot spring. His ki suppressed, he entered the room, but there was no sign of any female. He looked around, but suddenly noticed a small sound of footsteps padding his way from yet another different tunnel. Quickly he stepped backwards as quietly as he could, looking quite ridiculous as he flailed his arms, tip-toeing, and cursing his squeaky feet. Soon Noon came into view, and Cell flattened himself against the rocky wall, still not wanting to be discovered, but still unsure whether the woman could see him or not. He didn't know why he was interested in fighting a woman, but he guessed that he was just being curious. He had no female cells within him, and so he felt the need to spy on one-just to see what they did. He would spy for a while, then fight her.

A sudden idea sprung to his mind, but he was distracted when Noon came into full view. She was using her foot to guide her way around to the spring, which told Cell that she was indeed blind. This information did not comfort him though. For some reason he felt very tense. Almost for spying on a woman.He watched as she stood at the edge of the spring, wearing her green silk robe. Cell was thinking about emerging to fight her now, but he stopped in his tracks when she slid the gown from her shoulders. Every muscle in his body tensed as he watched the material fall to the floor at her ankles. He immediately thought about leaving, and coming back later, but he caught a glimpse of her swaying tail. Moving from that particular area, he looked at her delicate wings, and then back to her feet. From the way she seemed so unsure, Cell got the impression that Kibito would usually help her during bath time. Shaking off any remainingthoughts, he turned his back to leave, finally getting over his tension.

'I will _not _converse, or fight with a woman unclothed.' His mind shouted at him. He was getting irritated, and he didn't know why. He took one tiny step forward, but his ears picked up something he hadn't heard before.

It was her breathing. At first, it seemed normal, but now something was definitely wrong. Interested by this sudden change, Cell turned back to see Noon wobbling on the spot slightly. Her breathing had become quick and shallow, and it seemed to Cell that she was clutching her chest, but he couldn't quite see from the back. With a slight whimper, he heard her breathing hitch, then stop for a long time. Cell waited. Was she holding her breath or something? Suddenly he heard a sharp intake, and watched as her legs gave way, and her body slide into the water, dragging the gown around one ankle with her.

He watched, a slightly puzzled look on his face, as Noon slipped, scraped her arm against a particularly sharp looking rock, and hit her head hard on another before disappearing completely within the water.

"Well, where is she? Surely such a little bump on the head won't do any damage."

'She _is _ill, though.' His mind reminded him.

So he waited. He waited for a minute, then two, then five. Still no sign of a female warrior. Cell turned his back.

'She'll be fine.' He seriously doubted what he had just thought. If he left now, Noon would drown. 'Ah, like I care.' Now this was half true. He gave no care whatsoever about Noon's wellbeing, but if he let her die now, she would never fight him in his tournament. He turned back around, and cursed his curiosity as he smoothly dove into the water.

The water was warmer than he had expected. It was nice, really. It soothed his muscles as he glided towards an unconscious Noon. Quickly grabbing her body, and ensuring he took the gown also, Cell surfaced, and walked quickly back down the tunnel. Now in the slightly open air, Cell could see Noon clearly. He could see her soaking wet hair, her parted lips and smooth neck as her head hung over one of his arms. He could see, and feel her flawless peachy skin, with the soft feathers as one hand supported her back. The other holding under her knees could feel her strong, toned muscles, but as he looked at her curvy figure through the thin silk, he noticed that she was in no way masculine. Along with all of this, however, he also noticed a pair of golden slits for eyes, and a set of very, very sharp teeth. It appeared that Kibito had awakened.

Cell watched, still holding Noon as the dragon made his way towards them, his eyes glaring at the creature carrying his adoptive mother. He knew exactly who this was. He stopped in front of Cell, as though demanding to know what exactly he was doing.

"She almost drowned." Cell responded to the dragon's look, expecting to say more, but the dragon made no move to claim Noon back. He was actually looking pretty calm. Cell took another step towards the small tree, but still Kibito allowed it. Glancing at the dragon and his bizarre behaviour one last time, Cell set Noon down on the grass, careful not to pull away the robe. He knelt awkwardly beside her, whilst Kibito sat on her other. Cell wasn't sure what to do, so he decided just to use to try and pump the water from her lungs. He placed both hands on her chest just below her breasts, noticing that Kibito was holding the robe in place, and pushed. Water spilled from her mouth several times with each push, and she soon began to cough, regaining consciousness.

Slowly she sat up, holding the gown briefly to her body with one hand. The other rubbed the back of her head.

"Yikes, what happened there?"

_You almost drowned. _Kibito answered, but he did not seem happy. Cell looked at the dragon, having no idea what his growling just meant.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry Kibito. I just wanted to try on my own. But something's bothering me. If I was going to drown peacefully, why'd you save me?"

_I didn't._ Noon froze, holding the gown tightly to her.

"There's someone else here, isn't there?"

"Yes. That would be me." Noon jumped, and Cell wondered whether she had stopped breathing again.

"Who are you?"

"Do you not recognise me, Noon?"

"I can't see you."

"I know. But listen to my voice carefully." Noon did what she was told, and couldn't help but notice how rich his voice was, deep and hypnotic. It sounded almost seductive. That was until she realised who it was.

"Cell! What are you doing here?"

"I told you I'd be back, didn't I?"

"Yes…but."

"But what, Noon? Didn't expect me to come back?"

"It's not that, is just…I didn't expect to be alive by that time."

"Hmmmm…is that so? You do seem to have changed slightly. You do look worse."

"Thanks. You appear to have changed a little yourself."

"Yes, well, I have absorbed the androids, and I have become perfect."

"Nobody's perfect."

"I beg to differ."

"Really?"

" Yes. But this is no time for idle talk Noon."

"Is that so? Well let me just put some clothes on, if you don't mind." She clicked her fingers, and she was instantly dressed in her usual attire once again.

"This is how it will go. I'm holding a tournament to decide the fate of the Earth, and you are going to be there. We will fight, Noon."

"What the hell for? I'm in no condition to fight."

"Hmmmm…" Was all his response. He was looking at one of arms, where deep purple blood was seeping through her shirt. He got up, and left.

"He's gone? Well that was odd." As soon as she had said it though, he had returned. He held something in his hand.

"Here." He took her arm, and unfolded the piece of red silk to wrap around the cut on her arm. She felt him roll up her sleeve, and tightly, but gently bandage the wound.

"Cell, what are you doing?"

"I want to fight you with no injuries. None. Don't think I'm doing any of this for you, though."

"You don't understand. In a couple of days I will be dead. My time is nearing."

"All the more reason to keep you alive longer."

"Don't do that. I don't want to prolong my death."

"I don't take requests. And I don't give a damn want you do and don't want. Suffer all you like, as long as you fight me." He answered coldly. She snatched her arm back, and began to fiddle with a daisy nearby.

"Leave me alone. I don't know why you would want to fight me so desperately."

"Don't flatter yourself. I only want to fight you because you're the only female fighter on the planet."

Noon didn't answer. She just continued holding the daisy. This annoyed Cell greatly.

"Why do you like those things so much? They are flimsy and weak."

"They are under appreciated." She replied simply.

"What?"

"Daisies. They aren't appreciated enough."

"It's a flower. How can flowers be under appreciated? And a flower like that. I though people liked those rose things."

"Most do." She looked in his general direction. "They go for the beautiful, big flowers with lots to show. But I find the little ones to be much nicer. I have always loved daisies, but blindness has shown me this more than ever."

"What are you talking about, woman?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"What other completely insignificant things do you love?"

"Well…I love my vegetables."

"Excuse me?"

"This way." She led him to the back wall, furthest away from the waterfall, to a small box. Cell peered inside, to see nothing less of vegetables. Noon bent down, and felt her way along the assortment of veg, before coming to her favourite. "See! Cabbages!"

Cell looked at the creature in front of him, an eye-ridge raised. Did all females act this way? Did they all have obsessions with cabbages? No. He didn't think so. Perhaps it was just this one.

"Tell me Noon, why do these things bring you such happiness?"

"Because I helped them grow." Was her simple answer, but Cell found it confusing.

"But flowers and vegetables grow on their own."

"Some need a helping hand."

"...You are an odd creature, Noon."

"As are you, Cell."

"No, I am perfect. And I must go and announce my tournament to the rest of the world. I look forward to seeing you again, Noon." He took off through the waterfall, and Noon sensed that he had actually gone.

"That...was very strange. But boy, is he gonna get a surprise. The next time he comes here, I could be dead." She looked down at Kibito and smiled. "Ah, well. I think it's time we woke up that lazy little lizard. We've got people to visit."

* * *


	13. Depth Perception

* * *

Chapter 12 – Depth Perception

"What! How could you do this to me? And to think I actually loved you. Leave me now."

"No…please don't do this! You don't under—"

—Click—

"I was jus' listnin' to th' 'ere radio, an' I heard 'bout me cows. Me babies had bin tak'n away!"

—Click—

"Well howdy there, partners! How would you like to taste the newest, hottest, tastiest beef jerky in all the states of Ameri—"

—Click—

"Good morning children. Today we're going to learn the two times table! And here to help us are the Happy Time Bears—"

—Click—

"Right then ladies! Let's get started! We don't want to lose our fabulous figures now, do we?" Noon's thumb hovered over the remote's buttons again.

"Hey, wait Noon! Just er…leave this channel on a little while, would you?" Noon sighed, before casting her blind eyes in the direction of Master Roshi. "Oh, come on! I don't want to lose my fabulous figure, now!" He laughed at his comment. She cast him a warning glare, before tossing him the remote.

"Knock yourself out."

Noon listened to the women on the television do their exercises, whist she sat upon a pillow on the floor. Since the android's last visit, she decided that it was time to talk to someone. She had left her home for the first time in a long while, and after carrying her to Capsule Corporation; Kibito had chosen to stay in the caverns in case Cell showed up. Pukka had joined her, but presently he was sat on Trunks' head, sniffing the younger baby Trunks with interest. Noon had found, to her delight, that most of the Z fighters were there. It was nice for her to have some company who spoke in a common tongue. However, they had not been pleased to hear that Cell wanted to fight her.

"I don't understand, Noon." She turned her head towards Trunks. "Why is he settled on fighting you? You say he wants to fight a woman, but what about android 18? As far as I know, they both fought each other."

"I've wondered this, myself. I thought at first that it was because he didn't fight her properly, as you know she was blinded by the Solar Flare, but that wouldn't explain why he would want to fight a blind woman. He told me that he was curious, but I'm not sure what he was talking about. Perhaps the situation makes things different. Android 18 had always been his target, and so he had to fight her to reach his goal. With me, he has a choice. It doesn't matter though, because when he comes back, I can ask him. But if I'm already dead then there's no problem."

"He's curious?" Chi-chi's voice rang out.

"He's coming back?" Trunks could not suppress his shock.

"That is what he said."

"You're not going back home, are you?"

"Of course I am. I have chosen my home to be my resting place. I will not be moved by the android."

"This is not ordinary android, Noon. He is much more than that."

"Yes…I know. There's something almost human about him."

"Are you kidding me? He's a monster!"

"Well it is of no matter. If fighting me is what he wants, he'll have to do it now. I can't go to his tournament."

"How do you know that? Do you know how long it will be?"

"Well, from what Kibito told me about the fight between you and Cell, he asked you if you and the other Z fighters would be able to get stronger if you had more time, right? This tells me that he will stay true to this, if fighting you all at full strength is his aim. He wants to test out his body, which means that he'll give you at least seven days. He isn't stupid, he knows nobody will be strong enough for a challenge in just three days."

"Why do you say three days?"

"Because in three days I will be dead. There is no way I can think of to try delaying it further. I could be dead tomorrow, and if it weren't for Cell's 'curiosity' I'd have died last night. Three days is my limit, two to live, and then one full day to actually snuff it."

"A whole day to die?"

"24 hours, 1440 minutes, 86400 seconds. One day. If I'm lucky." A long pause followed her sentence. "But enough about that, what about Cell? He said he'd appear on television?"

"Yes…he said that."

-----

"One and two and three and four and one and two and three and four…"

"That's it girls! Keep up the good work! We gotta stay in shape! Heheh ha!"

"Old man, you are pathetic."

"Master Roshi always watches that program…huh?"

Oolong had now joined the drool club. "Hehe…that's it! Jump! Jump!"

Trunks let out a long, aspirated, and not to mention uncomfortable sigh. He was laid out on his stomach, and Noon had fallen asleep, her head resting on his backside. At first she had only rested her back on his strong form for support, but as she made herself comfortable, she had ended up making Trunks blush manically every time she moved. Her peaceful slumber was soon disturbed however when a shrill scream came from the television. She sat up quickly, and Trunks followed. Everyone's attention was on the TV.

"Cell!" Vegeta clenched his fists. He disappeared from sight as he switched between sets, each channel showing the same image of his black, green, purple, and yellow body pass the screen. Noon could hear his deep chuckle.

"Show off!" Noon could tell that Vegeta's battle with Cell had left his ego a little more than bruised.

Finally Cell had reached Studio B for worldwide broadcasting, and the Z fighters waited with baited breath. Bulma looked curiously at Cell. It was the first time she or Chi-chi had ever seen him, and his handsomely appealing face surprised them both. She looked down at Noon, and she could see her hands were gripping the pillow beneath her tightly. She was nervous to hear what he had to say. Bulma imagined how hard it must be for her to only be able to listen. Well, obviously there was smell, but that was unnecessary, and then there was touch…but Cell was a bad guy, so who wanted to go near him?

"I…am Cell. I have a message for the people of Earth. Now pay attention to what I have to say." Noon's ears picked up every note, every hint of his voice, and she sensed different things from it. He was cocky, arrogant, even ignorant, but to what she didn't know. Perhaps it was his self-image. This 'perfect' status is bound to get to him. The more Noon thought about it, the more that Cell's decision to allow the Z fighters to train was, in her view, blind of any consequences. As she listened harder, there were other mental notes that had to be taken down. For a start, his tone seemed different as to how he'd spoken to her personally. But now, his voice was deep and rich, yes she had already established that, and perhaps a little accented, but there was definitely something else. He was proud. It was pride she could hear, he was strong in mind, and obviously he was courageous. This was always going to be true; he thought he was the strongest being ever to live. But it was this thought that troubled her the most. Was he really living, after all? Yes, was her conclusion. He was strong-minded, and so orders given to him would surely be ignored, wouldn't they? He was created, after all. He has all the knowledge in the world, and yet he uses it to destroy. Why? Did he not know what life had to offer him?

"…and where my little dragon-loving friend lives…"

Noon snapped out her thought train immediately. She could sense the tension in the air. Cell was taking about her on television.

"…you have nine days. Good luck!"

"What the hell did he just say?"

"I believe he just said you live right by his arena."

"He said that?"

"Weren't you listening? He gave the directions to his arena, and then mentioned the caverns, where his "dragon-loving friend lives". I believe you're going to get visitors."

"No! That place is a sacred ground! Only dragons and protectors can ever go there! I thought it was bad when Cell appeared, but humans must never set foot there!"

"What's the big deal?"

Noon turned sharply in Vegeta's direction, and began to raise her voice, baring her only two fangs for the first time since she was killed. "WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? YOU HAVE YOUR SAIYAN PRIDE, DON'T YOU? YOU'VE SEEN YOUR RACE DEMINISH! IT IS HOW WE HAVE ALWAYS GONE BY! FOR ONCE, VEGETA, ALLOW ME TO KEEP MY DRAGON'S PRIDE! I AM THE ONLY DRAGON PROTECTOR IN THE UNIVERSE LEFT! THE DRAGONS ARE _MY_ KIND! I HAVE DRAGON BLOOD WITHIN ME ALONG WITH MY BROTHER AND SISTER, AND TO ALLOW SUCH A THING TO HAPPEN IS UNORTHADOX! DRAGONS DO NOT GET ALONG WITH HUMANS AND NEVER WILL! THEY DESTROYED ALL DRAGON HABITATS ON EARTH AND I WILL NOT LET THE LAST ONE FALL! THIS IS THE ONLY OBEJECTIVE I KNOW I HAVE _EVER_ HAD FOR SURE IN LIFE! I WILL NOT LET THAT ONE THING TARNISH, BECAUSE IF I DO, I WILL BE BETRAYING THE DRAGON RACE, AND THE ONLY NAME I KNOW I HOLD!" Noon took a deep breath, before leaving the premises angrily. The roomwas quiet now without her presence, and even Vegeta was wide-eyed.

"What just happened there? What did she mean by dragon protector?"

"My mother told me everything she knew about Noon. In my time, Noon spent many of her last living days with my mother, and she told her about her past role. It was indeed the only name she knew she held. Before she died, she served the dragons as a warrior, accepted because her family all had traces of dragon blood, Noon the most. When her eldest brother died, she went through some sort of transformation, and the dragon race made her their protector. She protected them for the remainder of her life, but when she died, the dragons almost became extinct. What she said about the humans is true; only her home is the last stronghold against civilisation. It was to be kept a secret forever…but that has just been changed, and now her pride has been severely ruined."

"But I don't understand. Noon and I talked on Namek. She said she would tell me everything she knew about herself."

"In the end she did. And then she left for her home. It's just that in this timeline, she used her days training, and now she would have returned home…but I have a feeling she won't go straight there…"

-----

It wasn't the first time had found himself watching the brightly coloured fish at the waterfall, and as Cell watched the same green and yellow one, he was wondering why he was here once again. He flew through the waterfall this time, and landed on the lush grass. Again he avoided the tunnel of which he knew Kibito lay, and headed down the tunnel to the hot spring. Once he reached the spring, he waited for her to return to it, dressed in that very same robe. He waited for five minutes or so, the silence cutting through him. He looked at the spring again, and his eyes widened at what he stupidly forgot.

"Noon is ill, and blind, Kibito is asleep, and I'm stood waiting for Noon to show up. This all sounds very familiar. Does she even have any sort of depth perception at all?" He made his way to the edge of the spring. "What if she's already fallen? She wouldn't be that stupid, would she?" He said aloud, as though hoping the air would respond. But without another thought, he dove into the water.

His eyes searched through the clear warm water, but he could not see any sort of body. He could see the rocky bottom, so he assumed she wasn't in there. He surfaced, not sure whether he felt relieved or not, before wondering why he was worrying in the first place.

"These female fighters are pains."

Reluctant to remove himself from the soothing spring, he stepped out, and cast his eyes towards the tunnel that led from it. He had never been down there before, and judging by the lack of noise, and the fact that Kibito was elsewhere, he presumed that this way was dragon-less. After all, he didn't want to be caught sneaking around; it reminded him of his imperfect human-absorbing days.

When he reached the end of this tunnel, he was mildly surprised at the cavern-like place in front of him. It obtained many carvings in the wall, and a large double bed covered in dark purple silk bedding. To his left, Cell could see the green silk robe hung up on a bit of wall. There wasn't much else in there, other than a few candles, a book, and some handcrafted pencils. Raising an eye ridge curiously, he took the book into his pale grey hands. The book was green and leather-bound, square and heavy. He inspected the front cover quickly to see that it had no title, or any other writing on the cover. His curiosity piqued, he opened the book to inspect it further.

As he looked at the first page, his lips parted slightly as though he was going to say something, but nothing came out. He was looking at what appeared to be a sketch of Pukka. It was very well drawn, and Cell wandered how long ago Noon had drawn it. He looked very much smaller than nowadays. He paused through the pages when he came to a drawing of King Kold, and a tall female Ice-Jin Cell knew to be Chill. Next came her pictures of Kibito, of whom Cell could now see how much she loved along with Pukka. She had put her heart into these pictures. He went through the various pictures of all the Z fighters, and every so often a picture of Frieza or Coola would come up. He looked at the picture she had drawn of Dusk, who was posed in a very moody way. Cell remembered Dusk from his own timeline, but she had not stayed long. He recalled not liking her at all. He held a considerable amount of respect for Noon's ways, but with her sister it was a different case.

He had almost finished flicking through the book when he saw pictures only briefly finished. He wondered why this was so, but when he came upon the last drawing, his question was half-answered. He looked at the picture of himself.Cell knew it was he. The outline of his body was drawn, and he could just make out wings. The only thing he could spot that was missing was his head crest, which she had made slightly too small. It didn't surprise him in the slightest. Noon's head probably came up to his chest if that, and it must be hard for a blind person as short as her to get a clear mental picture. Although he thought about this, he asked himself how exactly she could do it so well. Finding himself thinking about Noon again, Cell's face suddenly became one of irritation.

"Well she obviously isn't here. I'd better wait a while."

-----

Noon was flying for the first time in what seemed like many months, but she didn't care about the burning in her chest, she just wanted to know what the hell that damn android was up to. She knew her way to her home perfectly from any direction or destination, and so finding Cell's arena wasn't going to be too hard for her.

She paused in mid-air to take off her shoes. She found that her bare skin helped her control her energy better, and it also increased her senses immensely. Flying slower than usual now, Noon wiggled her toes for any feel of life force or an arena of some sort. Soon enough, her toes picked up a sense of a tall pillar, with a pointed top. She focussed for a moment, before discovering that there were four of them. She figured this must be it, so she landed upon the smooth surface. However, although she was sure this was his arena, Noon could not sense Cell. Wondering, and worrying about where he could be and what he could be doing, she nervously waited for him to return.

-----

Cell wasn't an impatient creature, but waiting for hours for a woman didn't press the right buttons when it came to his temper. He had thought about just leaving several times, but it wasn't until he heard strange noises in the distance that he finally decided to go. He could always come back. Making his way back through he waterfall, Cell could now see several helicopters, along with capsule vehicles. Frowning deeply, he wanted to destroy them, but he just wanted to get back to his arena to meditate. Keeping low, and assuming the humans above would be long gone soon enough, Cell began to fly back to his arena, completely unaware of the predicament he had gotten both himself, and Noon into.

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A/N: Hey everyone! I thought i'd take this opportunity to thank you all for the reviews, they've really spurred me on, and the advice is great! See you in the next chapter! 


	14. Reversion

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Chapter 13 – Reversion.

Noon tapped her foot on the smooth surface of Cell's arena, wishing more than ever just to go home. But it was home she was worried about. If any human were to go there, she hated to think what would happen. After twenty minutes had passed, Noon had gotten a little agitated, but now it had been three hours. Not long for someone with loads of time on their hands, but Noon was well aware of what little time she had left. She was starting to get uncharacteristically impatient. She gathered a tiny bit of energy so she could fly; the sudden thought that Cell could be at her home waiting, striking her. She only had to take one step, however, when she sensed him coming her way.

When he landed, Cell's eyes widened slightly. He wasn't expecting Noon to be here. Usually, he would play it cool, but Noon couldn't see him, so wide-eyeness was acceptable to him. He smirked, looking at her short frame, her maroon velvet doublet, the yellow shirt and pants, and the black pinstripes running down them. His eyes travelled smoothly from her green boots, before pausing on her orange sash. He had never seen anyone dress in such a way. He casually allowed his eyes to travel up her body, past her chest, to her smooth neck, and the dragon upon it. Finally, he looked into her pale eyes, to see that she was not looking happy.

It appeared she was waiting for him to say something, so for the hell of it, he stayed quiet. A breeze of wind brushed past them, causing Noon's red hair to cover half of her face. Cell tilted his head. Her hair reminded him of Android 16.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" She raised a brow.

"Are you going to tell me why you've decided to announce to every single human on earth where I live?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that. You know what I'm talking about. On television. Do you not realise what will happen?"

"The humans will go nowhere near you. They are cowards." Noon shook her head.

"That is not true. Humans are nosy. They couldn't care less about this sort of stuff. Humans pay greedy, or crazy humans to go on little escapades. If I know the human race from the time I've spent here, they'll come, and you have no idea what'll happen next."

"What will happen then, Noon?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, and that's what worries…"

"…What is it?"

"What do you have in your hand?"

"How did you know I—"

"Cell, what is it?"

"…Let's just say…I've taken an interest in your little drawings."

"Is that my book? Have you been to my home, _again_? How dare you! HAVE YOU NO RESPECT?"

"How do you do this?"

"You are so…oh I don't know! How could you do that!"

"How do you do this?"

"Do what?" She replied with obvious irritation.

"This." He pushed the book towards her.

"There's no time for that!"

"You tell me how you do that, and I'll make sure no human comes your way."

"You have no right to make deals with me! Why should I tell you, anyway? I'd only be teaching you things you wouldn't appreciate!"

"Try me." He responded smoothly. He smirked, knowing he was getting to her.

"…Well what am I supposed to do? Say yes and allow you to destroy any human that goes by?"

"I'll scare them away. You can trust me on that."

"Yeah, trust you."

"You trust me enough to come near me. Besides, I didn't destroy the humans that just passed."

After a long silence, Noon didn't reply. Instead she grabbed the book from Cell, and took off as fast as she could. Frowning at first, and then suddenly realising why Noon had rushed off, he followed.

"I hope for your sake, that they didn't go where I think they went." She called to him when he was level with her. In seconds they had reached Noon's home, but what Cell saw was not a comfortable sight.

The waterfall was gone. Instead, was the huge opening to her home, making it look like a cave. He looked to where the river once flowed, and saw nothing but dead, once beautiful fish. He spotted the green and yellow one. Noon just stared straight ahead of her.

"I can't hear anything. The waterfall has gone, hasn't it?"

"Yes. The fish are dead."

"How did they do this? Have they blocked up the source of water?"

"I don't know. And those Saiyans wonder why I wish to destroy them all." Noon scowled at him.

"You have no idea what you've gotten me into. Not to mention Kibito."

At the mention of his best friend, Pukka jumped from her shoulder, and ran into the cave.

"NO PUKKA! THERE MAY BE HUMANS IN THERE! YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY'VE BEEN!"

"That may have been a mistake. Now they know you're here."

"I don't care! I just can't let Pukka in there! I know what humans are like! They'll either try to capture him and put him in a zoo, or hunt him down and kill him!"

"Well…may I suggest you go inside?"

She gave him a strange look that Cell couldn't quite place. "You're such an arse, sometimes." He let out a small chuckle, severely enjoying how today was going. He watched as she went inside, and decided to follow. He would need to keep his end of the deal, after all.

Before Noon came into the clearing, she took off her shoes. Noticing this, Cell told himself to ask her about that. Noon stepped fully into her home, to have her feet greeted with dirt. It wasn't the usual soft grass, just soil. She left her boots by the entrance with Cell, and continued further into her home. Her ears were met by the sound of men shouting, and some sort of machine down one of the tunnels. As soon as she entered, she knew that Kibito had left. She heard footsteps to her left, but it didn't even register in her head. Pure devastation was all she felt now. Her home had been destroyed, her pride ruined.

Her breathing slowed down significantly, and she instantly felt weaker. She had let down the race she once swore to protect. Now…she was indeed _just_ Noon. Her duty as a dragon protector was over. Kibito's absence told her that. She knew from the day she told Kold, that something like this would happen. She had promised never to tell anyone else, but she suspected that she told Bulma in Trunks' timeline. Kold was the only one she didn't mind telling, although she would never, ever tell anyone that.

Other than Cell, who already knew, of course.

Damn that android.

A human man, large, sweaty, and burly approached her slowly, and upon seeing her wings, grabbed her. She was so weak now, she was starting to black out, and so fighting him off wasn't an option.

"Get the hell off of me!"

"Sorry doll, but any friend of Cell is bound to be worth something. Yes…you are very valuable indeed. Not to mention attractive…" He ran a hand down her face, causing her to struggle. This guy was reminding her of Frieza _way_ too much.

"GET OFF ME!"

"I don't think so little girlie."

"...I would do what the lady says, if I were you."

"Oh yeah, sez who?" A second man crossed over to Noon, and moved his hand over her hips, causing her to growl and kick him away.

"If you value your petty life, then you will leave her alone."

"What is it? Want her for yourself? Sorry pal, she's ours to play with."

As though on cue, Cell emerged from the shadows, a look of absolute malice shining within his magenta hues. Blind panic coursed through each of the men, and they began to run for their vehicles, and their lives. The man holding Noon, however, kept a firm grip on her, and tried to take her to one of the helicopters.At first Cell wondered why she couldn't fight this guy off, but upon looking at her, he began to understand how ill she was.

"Let her go." When the man made no move, other than to mock Noon, Cell moved forward. The next soundshe heard was the high-pitched scream of the man, his arms now both reduced to stumps. Noon slumped onto to her knees when released, and listened as Cell threw the man into the air, and towards one of the helicopters. Whether or not he died was a mystery to Noon, but she cared neither way.

When Cell turned around, he saw that Noon had made her way towards the box at the far side of the garden. He watched as she picked up half a cabbage; the only piece left intact. Cell took the time to look around, and his blank face showed no emotion at the scene of destruction.

"Cell? Did they have Pukka? I can't hear him."

Cell cast another glance around, and his eyes fell upon the broken tree in the centre of where they stood. His face making no change when he realised what had happened.

"No they did not take him." Noon looked towards where Cell was stood, not liking the lack of emotion in his voice. That meant something bad had happened, because Cell felt no remorse…just blankness in these situations.

"Where is he?"

"The tree."

He watched as she made her way flawlessly to the once flourishing tree, and crouch to her knees. She crawled a small way, but stopped. Looking at her face, he knew what she had just realised.

There he was.

Under the tree.

Pukka.

The once happy, loving, hyper, podgy little lizard was dieing.

"How…did this happen so fast? He…only…just…came…in…here." She was shaking, and her voice was only a whisper. Cell's ears could tell she was going to cry. "How…did…they…do…this?" She felt along the tree. "The tree…must have…fallen on him…." She lifted the tree, and carefully moved the broken lizard from underneath it. Slowly, she took him into her arms and held him close to her chest. She felt for his tiny little heart beat, but found that it was fading. Within seconds that she had picked him up, the beating stopped. She shook him lightly, and tried to push air into his small, crushed lungs, but to no avail.

"Pukka? Pukka, come on…stand up now…come on Pukka…" She stopped, the truth sinking in.

She knew that he was dead.

Laying him down, she began to cry, and didn't stop. She sobbed uncontrollably into Pukka's limp form. Cell could hear her breathing was starting to sound strange. "Those…h-h-humans…this is their kami…damned…fault…….but……it was your fault they were _here_…Cell."

Cell could sense her anger flowing through her, mixed with the pain of loss through her best friend. But what caught his attention the most…was the fact she was angry with _him. _

She began to growl, the hands on both side of Pukka's body beginning to grip at the bare ground. Her fangs were bared, which meant she was very angry indeed.

"You…this…is _your fault_." She let out a cry, which sounded something between anger and pain. "Yours…your fault…your fault…"

Cell watched her curiously. He behaviour had passed normal. "Pukka, I'm so sorry…it was them…THEM! HIM!" With another great cry, she slumped slightly on the floor, but raised her head again with a growl. It was then when Cell noticed a rise in her energy.

She howled, before leaping to her feet, clutching her head madly.

"Noon…he was just a lizard…"

Well that was it.

She was screaming now, but her throat seemed raspy in a way. Suddenly, she bent forward, and Cell could see something moving along her back. He wasn't worried. Whatever she was doing, she could never hurt him. He smiled. Perhaps he would get his fight after all.

His smile faded into a frown however when a new set of wings sprouted through her old ones. These were different, though. Instead of the delicate feathers once occupying her back, huge, black leathery wings grew. They were sharp and pointed, just like dragon wings. Noon brought her hands to her still bent head, and Cell noticed her huge claws, black as opposed to her usual sky blue nails. Her hair glowed, and grew wildly, spreading to the back of her knees, and over one side of her face. Cell took a step back. Whatever was happening now, he did not like the amount of energy coming from her.

It was over as soon as it had begun. Her screaming stopped. But Cell's eyes never left her head, bent over so he could not see her face. It was obvious things weren't right here. Firstly by her appearance, and secondly by her raspy, harsh breathing. She stood bent over for a few seconds, before she raised her head. However, Cell could not see her properly due to her hair shadowing her face. Her upper body rose and fell with each breath, her hands at each side of her head.

Cell could not hide his shock. The rise in her energy was enormous, and her appearance was frightening. A small bead of sweat made it's way down his face. Something about the way she was stood there silently, facing his direction, and her hair blocking her face from view. The light from above cast shadows around her, giving her a very eerie presence. No ki emitted around her body like when the others powered up. Slowly her clawed hands moved from her head, and she just stood still, slightly hunched over. Cell noticed also that her body was twitching slightly. He took a step back, knowing something was wrong in a way that he had to get away from. And now.

As soon as he made a move, however, he heard a very odd growl. He wasn't sure it was a growl, actually. More like a low hiss. Noon stepped forward, so her body was half in light. For the first time, Cell noticed that her shirt had torn off from her huge wings bursting through. Silver scales, covering her upper body, but stopping near her collarbone, had replaced her skin. The scales rounded to cover her breasts, and Cell suspected that they ended at her hips. Her tail swung into view, but it wasn't the Saiyan tail she had been given, it was a huge, thick, spiny silver dragon tail.

Cell's brain was suddenly informed by one of King Kold's cells, and he looked back to her dark face.

"This was the form you took…when your brother died…when the dragons made you their protector." He realised now that she had become a very powerful creature, with dragon tendencies. Another sweat drop appeared. He was in very real danger, and he knew it. She had become powerful, much more so than ever before, and he knew she was fast.

'But she _is _ill.' He smirked. 'She will not defeat me. But I will get my fight, and then I will destroy her. Forget blind skills, they are of no use to me, and so nor is she.'

She took another step towards him into the sunlight, and Cell's smirk vanished. He could see markings on her face, three cherry red streaks on her cheek. She raised her head, although still hunched slightly, and Cell could now see her eyes. They were completely white now, and the black outlines that ran round the outside of her angular eyes had thickened into half-teardrop shapes. What intrigued Cell the most was the yellow circle on her chin, which reminded him of his own, minus the jaw lines. It was just a yellow chin.

She lifted her head completely, and her mouth opened slightly. She gargled a growl, and two six-inch long canines glistened at Cell menacingly. He wondered if she was going to move again, when she opened her mouth completely, and let out a horrific, piercing scream. It rung out through the cavern, and did not sound normal. It echoed several times before she repeated it, and Cell saw her head shake slightly from side to side as she did so. He took a weary step back, noticing that she was leaning forward. She retracted her claws, before curling her hands into fists. She was ready to fight him now. She leaned forward completely, before pushing back, and using her strong legs to hurl herself towards Cell…teeth first.

-----

Noon threw the last dead body to the ground, several vehicles and helicopters scattered around her. She rustled her wings, before wiping her mouth clean of any human blood. She scratched a bruise Cell had given her with irritation, and then looked to the sky. She was unsure whether to travel to the lookout now and fight the Z Fighters, or to go home to finish what she had started there. Feeling the Z Fighters presence, she decided to meet them head on, and deal with the android later.

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A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update. I have to take this chance to say thanks, and to apologize to Caspa, of whom I know loves Pukka the little lizard just as much as I do. His funeral will be for you, and any others who loved the fat little thing.

Thanks guys, much love to you all.


	15. Red Silk

A/N: Hello-ha everybody! I've felt absolutely terrible today,and I've had the day off school, so here I've decided to crack on with the story! Thank you all for your reviews and advice, I don't know what i'd do without you guys! Please keep the reviews coming, because they're really, really helpful, and they make me feel good too!

On with the story!

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Chapter 14 – Red Silk

"This could get bad." Tien looked over to Yamcha and Trunks.

"_Could _get bad? It's already gotten bad. If we go down there to fight her, we'll have no chance."

"Why don't we just wait for her to die?"

Trunks looked angrily at Yamcha, speaking for the first time for a few hours now.

"Because that's not what people do to their friends!"

"Is there any way of stopping it?"

"There may be."

"Cell's energy. I can't feel it."

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "He's still alive. Which makes me wonder…"

"Wonder what? Why would she keep him alive?"

"Exactly. She wouldn't. But Noon would."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't the Noon we know. I mean it's Noon, just not the nice one."

"But why would the Noon we know, allow Cell to live?"

"I don't know…why would the _Cell_ we know, allow _Noon_ to live?"

-----

Noon sat upon a tall building, in a huge, bustling city about three hundred miles away from her home. She was listening to the commotion she had started below. She could hear the humans running in all directions, yelling and screaming about how they were all going to die. Noon had no real intention of killing any of them, but the prospect of it seemed tempting. Every now and then she'd catch a line of a conversation, but all they were blabbing about was 'their last day'. Something said by a man caught her attention however, when he announced to a young woman, just exactly he was planning to do on his 'last day on Earth.'

"J-just keep away from me!"

"Come on, baby. This is our last day alive. Let's make it special."

"I said keep away from me!" She was shouting, but Noon could hear that her voice was wavering.

"I don't know what you can do to stop me, so just keep your mouth shut little lady." He aimed a gun at the young woman's face, and loaded it. Noon heard the bullet move. He certainly wasn't bluffing. "You know what I want, so just take off your clothes. That way…I won't shoot you." Terrified, the woman didn't move. She just stood shaking on the spot. Irritated, the man grabbed her, and forced her to the ground, tearing off her shirt.

"No…no, please don't."

He wasn't listening. He had dropped the gun, and was working on his own clothes. However, before he could do any damage at all, a hand had found it's way to the offending organ. The man, possibly in his twenties, looked up to see Noon's huge fangs snarling furiously at him. He looked at her for two seconds, before she pulled away the appendage from his body. Screaming, he was dropped, and he stared wide eyed at what used to be a part of him, now two or so inches away from where it should be.

The woman remained motionless, but Noon could hear that her breathing had slowed. She helped the young lady up, and she immediately covered herself.

"Th-thanks."

Noon nodded, before walking back down the alleyway.

"Wait! What about him?"

"Leave him." Noon responded in a voice that sounded a little huskier than usual. "He will bleed to death within time." She continued to walk, and made it to the street, but the sound of a gun shot made her turn around. She heard a body fall to the ground, and immediately she knew what had happened. The man slumped back down, and dropped the gun to his side. Noon stayed quiet. She knew the woman was dead. It wasn't until she heard two feet touch down behind her, that she was shaken out her trance-like silence, and realise she had company.

She turned back around, and could tell that Goku had joined her.

"Noon! What are you doing!" He was looking at the now two dead humans on the floor. The woman had no shirt, and the man was missing something of his own.

"This is not what it looks like." She said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh really? Care to explain?"

"Sure, why not? I've got nothing better to do. This man was about to rape this woman, with a gun in his hand. I stepped in, showed him how painful it is to be abused in such a way, but then the man shot the woman. Happy?"

"Why are these people running from you?"

"Because they are pathetic fools, and I am a monster."

"Then stop being the monster."

"I would if I knew how. Well…actually it's quite fun. I'm not quite there though unfortunately. I can still hear Noon's annoying voice in my head somewhere."

"Then you aren't Noon?"

"This is Noon's body, yes. Well, sort of.But I have taken it over, like once before." She let out a fake sigh. "But alas, I can't get rid of her."

"Well, what happened last time? How did she get rid of _you_?"

"You think I'm that foolish? She didn't, anyway. Someone said something that put her right."

"Such as what?"

"Oh, Goku. I am no fool. Just a fighter, waiting for a decent fight. Perhaps you can give me one?"

Goku didn't reply.

"I _said_, perhaps you can give me a decent fight. Preferably one that _is _decent, unlike your friend's attempt." She was referring to Krillin, who had just kicked her in the head, but only to receive a nasty pain in the foot. When she turned, Noon couldfeel that all of the Z fighters had joined him, other than Vegeta who was training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. "I'm sorry, is my appearance upsetting to you? Or did you prefer the old Noon?"

"Nonsense. You haven't taken her over." Trunks landed nearby, his face concentrated on hers.

"And why do you say that, Trunks?"

"Because we would be dead. You feel no desire to kill us. You saved this woman from a rapist, and you did not kill the android who engaged you in battle."

"The android?"

"Cell."

"…Hmmm."

It seemed that Noon was struggling with her thoughts.

"Noon didn't want him dead. She's in there somewhere."

"Well she's not coming out, and I will finish off the android later."

"That's a lie. He saved your life, and you will return the favour. Don't get me wrong, it's not as though we _want_ Cell to live, but you will not be the one to kill him."

"We shall see."

"Noon. You are in there. You just need to remember."

"No._ I_ am the superior being." She growled.

"Noon. I know you're there. You came back last time."

"No...stop...she's not coming through...sorry."

"Something that related to you personally."

"NO! STOP! YOU WILL NOT!" This was the breaking point for Noon, and she leapt at Trunks, engaging him in an instant battle, of which she was easily winning.

"I can feel you in there Noon!" Trunks managed to shout out through punches.

"No! She's gone. She's GONE!"

"That isn't true! You spared Cell's life!"

"QUIET!"

"Noon…?" Trunks stopped in mid-air, remembering something his mother once told him.

"I am not Noon!"

"Can you dance?"

"W-What? What did you say?"

"Can you dance? Surly such a _superior_ being as yourself can do that, right?"

"I…can't." The Z fighters looked at her in shock. "I-I can't dance."

"Try."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because…because I can't."

"What have you always wanted to be able to do, Noon?"

"Nothing! I can do anything!"

"I was talking to Noon." Trunks replied slowly. "Not you."

"D-Dance. I've always wanted to be able to do it."

"There we are. She's back."

"What on Earth is going on? Why do I look the same?" Noon patted her scales, but paused. "I should go home. I'm sorry, guys." And as simple as that, she flew off. Goku looked at Trunks for the longest of times.

"What just happened?"

"The one thing Noon can't do is dance. It's the desire to dance in her heart that brought her back to the surface…and I suspect that there could be others."

-----

Cell was in pain. _Real _pain. The first dose he had endured since perfection. He tried to move again, but for the twelfth time found that he couldn't. His feet were both gone, both legs cut down to some point. His arm was twisted horrendously, and his head crest was cracked in several places. His body was covered in bruises, scratches, and bites, and his energy had been drained. Although he had been curious, for once in his life he felt regret.

He looked towards the clearing with his one good eye and saw that Noon had returned. He stayed quiet in the corner he had found himself in, and watched as she picked up Pukka from the ground, and took him to another corner. There she laid him into a hole she dug with her claws, and kissed him gently on the forehead. Cell watched curiously. It seemed that she had gotten some sense back. Not that the thought comforted him in any way.

"Pukka." Cell heard Noon's normal, pleasant voice, and it allowed him to relax slightly. "I'm sorry. You were my friend, and I let you down. My best friend for so many years, and I allowed you to die. Please…just rest in peace little fella." She buried him, and bowed her head to respect his passing. As she stood up, Cell tensed slightly, and as she walked to him, his eye widened, and he felt fear. She surprised him, however, when she knelt down beside him. He could see that her face held an expression of distress and shock. Why, he wasn't sure. She went to place a hand on his broken arm, but she seemed apprehensive to do so. Casting her eyes to his, and back to where his arm was, she rested her hand on the break. He saw that her lips parted with surprise, as she felt the extent of the injury. Her hand trailed along the ceramic-like green armour, marvelling at how smooth it was. She stopped before she had even started, however, and looked him in the face.

"I'm sorry, Cell."

Cell turned his head fully to look at Noon with his good eye, surprised completely by her remark, and even more so by the fact she truly meant it. He let out a sigh as she laid a soft, but clawed hand against the side of his head, and he closed his tired eye, satisfied that he was in no more danger.

-----

It wasn't long until Noon stood up again, and flexed her huge wings. Cell, curious once again, watched as she made her way to what used to be her vegetable garden, and picked up the box. She left for the tunnel that led to the spring, and came back with the water in the wooden box. Cell didn't have to wait long before he knew what she was going to do. Before he could blink she was hovering above him, and soon the water was cast over him. As first Cell just felt wet, but a sudden energy filled him, and he regenerated his legs.

"Good. Now come this way." Standing up, Cell shakily followed Noon to the spring. "Go on."

"Go on, what?"

"Get in. It'll make you feel better. This pool gives energy, so you can set that break straight." Not waiting for a reply, she shoved him in, and he hit the water with a loud splash. Spluttering, he soon surfaced, and gave Noon one of his 'looks'. Noon couldn't quite contain her laughter, but she soon stopped when Cell got out, and passed her.

"Cell?"

"What is it? No. I don't want to know. I'm leaving for my arena."

"You're leaving?"

"Of course. Why would I stay here with a being such as yourself?"

"Well that's rich coming from you! The android everybody wants to get away from!"

"That's right! The inhuman _monster_! Is that right, Noon? Is that what people say?" Noon caught the tone in Cell's voice that made her uncomfortable.

"You're not a monster, Cell."

"No. I'm the android everyone wants to get away from. Well you get your wish Noon, because I will not return."

"I didn't say _I _wanted to get away from you! I asked if you were leaving! I never _once _tried to get away from you!"

She had a point, and it made Cell think.

"You tried to kill me."

"First of all, no. I did not try to kill you. If I had, you'd be dead. Secondly, you've killed thousands of people! As soon as you taste your own medicine, you can't take it!"

Another good point. Noon could have easily destroyed him, and still can now. He looked at her, and realised his perfection had been tarnished. He had been beaten. He had been reduced to saving a person's life. A woman's life.

Noon's life.

But what bugged him the most, as he stared at the powerful female creature in front of him, beautiful and mysterious even in this transformation, was why he didn't regret it. Why did he feel satisfied to see her living and…happy?

"Why?" He asked her.

Noon looked a little confused. "Why, what?"

"Not once have you tried to get away from me. Why?"

"…Because I never had a reason to…which is why…I'm sorry." She looked down at her feet. "You never once tried to harm me…and I could have taken your life. You even saved mine…"

"I assure you, I did that only because I wanted something in return." Noon thought for a moment, and remembered that he wanted to fight a female. "But I got that…"

"…And you regret it."

"No. You've just shown me that there's more to work for. I will still hold my tournament, however, because the only threat to me will be dead."

"Why don't you just do it now?"

"Excuse me?"

"Kill me now."

"I will not."

"Why?"

"I don't do requests."

"Very funny."

"I'm serious. You don't appreciate what you have, obviously."

"Well look who's talking!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" He folded his arms.

"Listen, I appreciate what I have. I've said it once before—"

"Blindness has taught you that. Yes, you did say that once before, and I'm curious as to how."

"You and your curiosity." She paused to think."I can't really explain it—"

"Then show me." He interrupted. Noon could tell he was serious.

"I…can't."

"As you wish." He made his way to the exit, but stopped to look at her boots. He looked from her boots, to her feet, and a smirk pulled at his handsome features. He spread his wings as far as he could, and Noon listened as his tail grew out from the stub in his back. Without a word, his pushed his tail to the ground, far enough for the pointed tip to penetrate the soil. His energy flared around his body, and along his tail. From there, his energy spread along the dead ground. After a few glowing seconds, Cell retracted his tail back into his back, and waited. Slowly at first, and then bursting, fresh grass made it's way past the soil, greeting Noon's feet. She gasped as she felt it, hardly believing what was happing. Within just a couple of minutes, Noon's home was full of lush grass and plenty of daises. The old tree had rotted, and a new one was sprouting. The water started running again, and Cell's energy had allowed fish eggs at the bottom of Noon's pond to grow. Cell looked at Noon's face, to see her beaming at the ring of daises that had formed around Pukka's grave. Her wonderful smile said it all; she was truly happy.

Cell closed his eyes, and turned to leave. However, he was stopped when Noon grabbed his arm. When he turned around, his eyes softened onto the sight before him. Noon had somehow returned to normal, wearing nothing but yellow pinstripe trousers, and an appreciative smile. His breath caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. The two thick long strands of hair on each side of her head came down and covered her breasts, but her peachy skin caught in the sunlight from above, and delicate feathers wavering lightly made her a breath-taking sight. Even for the most murderous of androids. She inclined her head upwards to look at him properly, and the different variations of reds and gingery blondes brushed down her back slightly, again the sunlight catching every glimmer of a shiny strand. Cell gave Noon the softest smile he had ever mustered, knowing full well she couldn't see it, and turned to go for the second time.

"Farewell, Noon."

"Wait." She took his arm again. "I'll show you."

He smiled. "I thought you said you couldn't."

"I've changed my mind. I've thought of a way, but you'll have to trust me."

"Alright then, Noon. Show me." Noon let out a small chuckle. He was still as cocky as ever.

"Wait here." She turned, and headed down to her room, which thankfully the men hadn't reached yet. As she went,Cell watched her back as she left, her hair flowing out behind her.

"Females." He muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!"

She didn't take long to come back, and Cell saw that she had re-dressed, making him feel somewhat relieved. But what caught his attention the most was the piece of red silk in her hand. Washed, clean, and above all _kept_, it was the same piece of silk Cell gave her for her now healed arm.

"You kept this?"

"Sure did."

"We're going to use this?"

"Yup. I'm going to show you my world." Cell smirked at her casual attitude, ready for his little lesson. And as she gently tied the silk around his head and over his eyes, he realised she wasn't just any ordinary woman.

* * *

A/N: Please review! 


	16. A Whole New Sense

Chapter 15 – A Whole New Sense.

Cell was not expecting such a feeling as soon as his vision had disappeared. He felt extremely uneasy. The floor suddenly felt a very long way down, and his upper torso seemed to weigh twice as much before. In a way he was dizzy, and it wasn't long before he wanted to see again.

"No." Noon held up her arm when Cell went to take the silk from around his head. "Just try. I know it feels as though everything has disappeared around you, but if you concentrate, then you'll get used to it."

"Oh, alright."

"Good now spread your arms. The fact that you don't wear clothes should help you here."

"And why is that?"

"The airflow and current helps ki circulate throughout a beings' body. Clothes prevent the atmosphere hitting the skin, which means any vibrations in the air go practically unnoticed. These vibrations allow me to detect, and if need be, counteract any movement, say in an attack. Also, bare skin allows me to feel any changes to an environment."

Cell remembered how Noon had taken off her boots, and how it had piqued his curiosity, hence leading him into this particular predicament.

"I see."

"Umm Hmm. Now spread out your arms slightly, and your fingers too." Cell did as he was told. "Right then, I've laid rocks in different positions on the grass, if you spread your senses as far as your arms, you should be able to detect even inanimate objects. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Go." He set off along the grass, his feet silenced by the evergreen blades. He missed the first two stones by millimetres, but he was not so lucky with the third. His foot bent over it, and he immediately became frustrated. He crossed his arms over his chest, his teeth gritted, and his body shaking. He was losing his cool so _fast_, and Noon was reminded of a spoiled child who hasn't got his way.

"This…is ridiculous."

"Nonsense. Just calm down. It's hard to get used to."

"Don't patronise me!"

"Then stop being impatient!

He took a deep breath. "Fine."

"Good. Now just keep calm, and concentrate."

"How can I constantly concentrate on rocks? I won't have time to think about anything else!"

"Believe me. Once you've got it, it will become natural to you. You already know how to fight, so that will come easily to you. Just try again and relax."

He tried again, and Noon could tell his breathing had slowed, and that he was much more relaxed. He navigated his way through easily, but carried on…towards the wall. Noon was about to say something, when she sensed that he had stopped.

"Your vegetable box, at the back of the cavern. I've passed the rocks."

"That's right. You can come back now."

He did so with very little flaws. He did almost crash into the tree, however, but Noon decided against mentioning it.

"Alright, then. Shall we try that again?" She raised her hand, and the rocks followed suit. With a flick of the wrist, they had mixed up in mid-air, and she lowered them carefully to the ground. "There, a different order. I want you to do it again."

"Again?"

"Umm Hmm. Come." She took his hand gently, as to give him a slight tug, but they both paused. Noon because Cell had tensed and would not move, and Cell because he experiencing a whole new perspective upon one of his senses. He slid his thumb over the main of Noon's hand, and could feel how smoothly it glided over her silk-like skin. Her skin moved under the pressure of his thumb, but sprung right back into place, like a fresh twenty-year-olds'. He moved from the back of her hand, to her palm, and ran one finger along the folded lines. Until, that is, before Noon began to twitch slightly.

"Cell, that tickles."

He withdrew his hand immediately to cross his arms over his chest. "I do _not _need you to hold my hand. I can do this on my own."

Noon let out a small giggle at his stubborn childishness. "Well go on then."

With a small "humph" Cell moved along through the rocks, arms still crossed, and made no error whatsoever. He came back, and stood in front of Noon, arms still crossed, as though to prove some sort of point.

"I think you will find that was—"

"Perfect?"

"Precisely."

"Well there's no need to show off. Besides, there's a lot more than that. There's so many experiences that are heightened by blindness, once you become used to it…it isn't all just rock dodging."

"Are you referring to touch?" Noon knew that he was taking about her hand, and she couldn't help but blush lightly.

"Yes, that's one of them…" She paused to think before continuing. "…I'll show you that if you'd like."

Cell raised an eye ridge. "Now don't get carried away. I don't want you touching me."

"Oh Cell! You make me sound like some sort of perv! Don't worry, I'm not going to go all touchy feely on you. I have something I can use that won't get you all uncomfortable."

"Is that so? Who said I was getting uncomfortable?"

Noon smirked to herself. She knew for a fact he felt uneasy, and she wasn't going to let that go. "I did."

"And what makes you think that?" He unfolded his arms.

"Oh…I don't know." She moved to stand directly in front of him, and smirked again when he tensed. "I just got the impression that…it felt odd to you to be so close…to feel the softness of another's skin against your own."

"It doesn't, _didn't_ feel odd at all." He replied quickly, before regaining his cool. He crossed his arms over his chest again, which gave Noon the impression that he was shielding himself. "I just don't like miserable, disgusting, inferior creatures such as yourself to make any sort of contact."

"Well that's strange, you didn't have a problem with it when you pulled me out of the spring, or when I was fighting you, _or even_ twenty minutes ago after you set things right in here. But anyway…I must be wasting your days towards your tournament. After all, you wouldn't want to waste your time with a "miserable, disgusting, inferior creature such as myself", would you?"

Cell didn't reply.

"Listen. I will show you, without touching you even_once_, as long as you relax and keep an open mind. And of course, if you can stand to be around me, being disgusting and all."

He still didn't reply, and Noon's face dropped considerably.

"Cell? Oh, alright…I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean to make you feel alienated…but that was no reason to insult me! Cell?"

Cell sighed. "Forgive me. I was being a little foolish."

Noon's mouth opened slightly.

"I-It's ok. Follow me." He did so, but for a short way. They had only walked to the tree. He only had to wait for a moment, before he felt something pass through his fingertips.

"A daisy?"

"That's right." She brushed the tiny flower up each finger of Cell's hand. Noon heard his mouth open a small way, assuming that he wasn't expecting it to feel the way it did. He could feel every pigment, individual tiny indentation, and detail of the one petal Noon was using. It sent tingling sensations through his arm, which he wasn't sure whether he liked or not. Within a short space of time, Cell's natural reaction was to raise his hand, and each finger in accordance to the flower. It made him realise even little life forms can make a big impression.

"Since we're onto plants, why don't we try the grass?" Cell needed no more words, and he surprised Noon by lying down on his back, right underneath the tree. He sighed as the lush grass spread beneath his body, cooling it down from the hot flush he had found himself to have. Noon went to place the daisy onto his chest, but he sensed this, and stopped her. Noon tilted her head, but made no sound. With no words obviously becoming exchanged, Cell continued by taking the daisy from her hand, and dropping onto the ground next to him. Noon understood what he was silently telling her, and so she slowly, and apprehensively placed her hand onto his chest.

"Noon—" Noon jumped at his sudden words-or word, as it was-and retracted her hand immediately.

"I-I misunderstood…I'm sorry."

"...Don't be." Were his words of reply. Noon sat still for what seemed like eternity, before Cell took his chance to speak again. "I understand…that it isn't just myself…that may be curious."

Noon didn't reply for a long time, but when she did, she could only think of one thing. "R-Right." She laid her hand softly onto his chest, and felt that it was smooth and perfectly toned, but was still as fleshy as any other fighter. She pressed on it a few times, and felt as the ceramic-like armour moved with her finger. She trailed her hand down, but stopped when the textures of his 'skin' changed. From the smooth black area of his chest, she had moved to the green main of his body, which felt much more detailed and almost rubbery, and to Noon's surprise much like a waxy leaf from a plant. He heard her sigh through parted lips as she explored the two different areas, and finally move up past his chest to his collarbone, where her hand met with silky ivory skin. Keeping one hand on his chest, she leant over him to inspect it further, and by trailing her fingers slowly along his jaw line and pronounced muscles, she found that his heart was beating hard and fast beneath her.

The peace of the moment was not to last, however, because he suddenly sat up, causing Noon to back away on her knees. She could hear his snarling, and she could soon feel a cold hand around her neck. He had snapped.

He was strangling her.

"What…the hell…has gotten…into…you?" Noon could hardly speak through the lack of air, and her head was beginning to become heavy. The dragon on her neck and chest began to glow, burning her. She whimpered from the pain of the dragon, and Cell took the silk from around his head. He saw that she was struggling, but not with the hand depriving her of air, but the burning coursing throughout her body. Soon her whimpers turned to shouts and moans, and Cell's face went from snarling furiously, to blankness, and then to horror. He dropped her as though she was hot to the touch, and watched as she threw up, the burning subsiding.

"What…was…that…for?" She managed between breaths, but he did not reply. He just frowned. She narrowed her eyes, and tried to come up with some sort of explanation. 'One moment he's alright, the next he's trying to kill me.' She threw up again. 'That is not good.' The glowing on her chest stopped, and so did herchucking up. She turned her head towards Cell.

'Did I do too much? Did I push him too far? He snapped when I got to his face and neck…maybe he actually enjoyed the attention, but he's scared of going against his purpose…maybe he _can't _go against his purpose, the wishes of Dr. Gero.'

"Cell…what just happened?"

"I'm not sure. But I will leave now."

"No!" Cell turned, surprised by her sudden reaction. "Don't go. There's something else I need to show you."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. I said I would show you my world. And this is only one bit of it."

"Listen. I don't care about all of that smushy 'life' stuff."

"All the more reason for you to come." She handed him the silk. "Besides. It's quite fun."

"Humph. I don't care for fun."

"You don't care for anything, do you? Other than your own goals."

"Of course. They are my life goals."

"Then Gero gave you no life at all." Cell looked at Noon, her face sincere, before looking down to his yellow feet. "You just have to trust me. Do you trust me, Cell?"

-----

Noon and Cell stood atop the huge canyon, above a very large waterfall. They had flown for only an hour, and had appeared at the other side of the world in no time. They were very far away from Noon's home indeed.

"Why have we come here?"

"Well can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"That breeze. It's wonderful."

"Noon, it's just a breeze of wind."

"Oh, you mean like Pukka was _just _a lizard, right? This is what I mean, Cell. Now tell me what your brain thinks of this place."

"Not much. It's just some canyon."

"What does your heart say?"

He frowned.

"The same." The sternness of his voice made Noon drop the subject.

"Okey day. Is your blindfold on properly?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Then let's go!"

Cell lifted the blindfold enough to see what she was doing.

"Go wh— What are you doing!"

Noon had jumped, and was now on her way down to towards the bottom of the waterfall. Upon hearing his call, she quickly made her way back up.

"It's called free-falling. Come on! You'll know when it's time for your ki to kick in. Now let's…GO!" She grabbed his arm, and threw herself, and a blindfolded Cell over the edge. "NOW DON'T USE YOUR ENERGY UNTIL COMPLETELY NECESSARY!" She shouted to him through the rushing wind, but he wasn't listening. Now separated from Noon, Cell had spread his arms, and relished in the cool air created by his fall. It whistled past every detail in his body, and he found it exhilarating.

"HEY CELL! YOU MIGHT WANT TO START PULLING UP NOW!" She was referring to the huge pinnacles at the bottom of the waterfall, of which they were heading for, fast. "CELL?" Cell just smirked, and before Noon could get her energy going, he grabbed her arm, and forced her to stay with him. They soon disappeared amongst the thrashing water and the deadly rocks. "CCCCEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLL!" Now Cell was having his fun. He dodged and dived in and out of the pinnacles, scaring Noon witless. She was certainly showing it, too. It didn't take long for them to reach the bottom, but Cell didn't stop there. Taking hold of Noon with both arms, he dived down into the water amongst the fish and sharp rocks. Then, in no time, he surfaced, as though nothing had happened. Noon however, was coughing and spluttering in Cell's strong hold.

"What's the matter Noon? I thought you were the expert."

"Oh, very funny. Now you can put me down somewhere—"

"As you wish." He said with a smirk before she could even finish. And with that said, he proceeded to put her down. Well…drop her. She fell into the water with a loud plop, and Cell could not contain his laughter as she made her way slowly out of the stream, to stand and attempt to dry herself on the bank. He had taken the silk from around his head for now, and his laughter only increased when she turned to face him, her hair flattened over her 'I'm not impressed' expression. She placed her hands on her hips to show Cell she wasn't too pleased, but really she was listening to his laughter. She had never heard him laugh like that. Sure, there were his little chuckles, and if he ever_ did_ laugh it was the 'villain' type of evil laughter. But now, he seemed so content and…normal? That's when it hit Noon. Maybe Cell _could_ be like any other, and perhaps there was something stopping that. She brushed her hair from her face, and waited with a patient smile for him to stop laughing.

"Enjoy that, did we?"

"It wasn't too bad." If Noon could have seen Cell's face, she would've known that comment was an understatement.

-----

"Where are we going, now?"

"The ocean."

"What on Earth for?"

"You'll see."

"I didn't think that was the point."

"Don't be so bloody pedantic. We're here, anyway."

"The beach? I thought you said the ocean."

"Same thing, really."

"Explain to me how sand is the same as water."

"The water's right there! I can hear it!"

"Alright. Alright. Don't stress out on me."

"You've got some nerve." She shook her head, before heading for the sea. "Are you coming? Put the blindfold on."

Cell stood next to Noon, and again could feel a soft breeze. "You like the wind, don't you?"

"Don't be a pudding." She replied. "Just wait." Soon enough, Cell could feel the water at his feet. "It's the waves. A movement of water that used to be caused by the moon. Since it's been destroyed, this island gets many tsunamis. That's why it's deserted."

"So we're waiting for a giant wave?"

"It won't be long now. In fact, I think it's coming." Cell couldn't see it, but as soon as she had said it, he could hear a rushing not too far ahead of them. In moments, a fifty-foot wave was upon them. "Oooh. Get ready." Cell made the most sceptical look he could muster through a blindfold, before folding his arms. The monstrous wave came over them, and it took a few minutes to pass. When it did so, Noon was still stood perfectly posed, as opposed to Cell, who was laid flat-out on the sandy ground.

Now it was Noon's turn to laugh. And laugh she did. Blinking several times, Cell stood, and took a deep breath, feeling somewhat refreshed. He removed the blindfold again, and simply watched as Noon clutched her chest laughing. Slowly, he made his way towards her, and she stopped. He could suddenly see fear in her eyes. He took a firm grip upon her arm…andpushed her straight into the water, before cracking up. He was stopped, however when she grabbed his leg, and pulled him under with her.

"You know what? You can be quite a laugh at times."

"Is that so? Well let's see what a laugh can do!" Taking Noon by surprise yet again, Cell wrapped his arm around her waist, and spun her so she was hanging upside-down. Giggling madly, she was dunked several times into the salty water, before spinning out of his grip and plain shoving him in. Noon laughed, but soon stopped. She had gotten Cell into the water, but he had not emerged.

"Cell? Cell! Where are you?"

With a comically fake roar, Cell jumped from the shallow waters with a loud splash, and seized Noon again, but this time their arms were locked together, pushing. Cell, being the stronger of the two at this particular time, was winning their little game, and was pushing her towards the sand. Unfortunately for Cell, he was not experienced on such soft sand, and he was struggling to keep his footing. With one slip, they fell, Noon landing on her back, and Cell landing on top of her. They laughed hysterically together, until they realised how close together they were. Noon's arms had landed above her head, and Cell's were on top of them. Cell was heavier than Noon, so she had no chance of getting from beneath him. Not that she was trying, but Cell wasn't making any move to get off of her, either. They panted breathlessly, their heaving chests rubbing and their breath mixing. Cell looked into the innocent blind eyes of Noon, which were half-lidded, but blinking slowly. His face was so close to hers it was driving him crazy. He didn't know whether he wanted to get off her and kill her right now, or to stay right here...on top of her.

"I thought you didn't care for fun." Cell didn't move as he thought of a reply. He was trying to choose his words carefully.

"There are many things, Noon, of which I thought I would never care for. I guess you really have shown me your world."

"And yet…you still want to destroy it." It was not a question, but a statement. A fact.And they both knew it to be true. He didn't answer, but carefully shifted his weight off of her, so he could stand up. He took Noon's arm, and lifted her to her feet. For a long time, neither said a word, but it was Cell who broke the silence this time.

"It is late, so we should head back now. I will escort you to your home, and then I shall take my leave. I have my arena, and my tournament to think about now."

Noon said nothing to reply, but nodded slowly. Soon she was heading off towards the sunset with Cell, her mind trying to understand exactly what had happened in this very long day.


	17. Connection

A/N: Wow guys! Forty reviews! I never even thought people would_ ever_ bother to give an opinion, especially since this is the first fic i've ever written! Thankyou all for your terrific support and advice, I really apprieciate it!

Ok, I'm sticking a small **warning **here. See? It's in bold, so please heed it.

Chapter 16 – Connection

"I must go."

"You must? Why?"

"I already told you. I have my tournament to think about."

"Oh…I see."

"I thank you Noon, you have entertained me greatly."

"Entertained you?"

Cell didn't reply, but instead left, obviously not wanting to waste any more time with a "miserable, disgusting, inferior creature" such as Noon.

She sighed. She was alone in her home, and for once, that scared her. It was dark now, not that it mattered to her sight, but Noon knew yet another day had passed. Her sensitive ears could hear the owls in the distance, and the mice the birds were chasing, also. Noon didn't like it here all alone. In fact, so had grown accustomed to having Cell around, and so she didn't feel too clever without him, whether he was just there for entertainment or not. However, the more she thought about his words, the more she didn't believe them. He had thanked her, but his reasoning was blatantly false.

"I can't dwell on this." She sighed deeply once again, before hanging her head with a solemn expression. "I guess I should sleep."

With that, she changed into her night wear - a white silk long-sleeved top, and black silk pants - and she climbed into her bed. It was the first time she would try and sleep since she had become alone in her home.

-----

When the sun made it's appearance, and the birds began to wake and chirp, Noon decided that perhaps she wasn't going to get to sleep this time. She got from beneath her quilt, and changed into a casual outfit. One that was the same as her nightwear, but a grey top and white trousers instead. The v-neck of her top allowed the air to reach the dragon near her heart, and so she felt much cooler. The day was fresh, and Noon suspected that the sky was pretty much clear, but a sense of foreboding told her that things wouldn't go well. This was supposed to be her last day on Earth, but so far Noon didn't feel anything but tiredness.

It didn't take long for the peace of the morning to diminish. Noon heard the unmistakable sound of helicopters, and other aeroplanes in the distance. She didn't panic, she could tell that they weren't heading her way, but her face dropped when she realised who they must be going towards.

She took off immediately.

-----

Cell smirked. Not because the sun was shining, or because his arena was glistening under the aforementioned ball of gas, oh no. It was because he had humans to destroy. Men in helicopters had never really been his favourite humans to come across, but after what happened with Noon, he hated the dirty scoundrels. He was a being who could comprehend the concept of rape, but what he couldn't understand was how they could do that to an innocent woman. He had killed, yes. But after seeing the fear and panic in Noon's eyes, he knew she would rather have died. He narrowed his eyes. He knew that if he hadn't have been there; those disgusting men would've indeed raped Noon.

And that, he could _never _stand for.

He was wondering now why he had left her alone, and his face lost its smirk. Those men, that _type_ of men, those disgusting, miserable, inferi—

He stopped thinking.

The men were miserable, disgusting, and inferior. But he had called Noon those very same things. He had made a terrible mistake. He had left her there, with all of those men.

Cell was starting to panic, more so than ever before, and he wasn't liking it.

"Look men! He's scared!"

Cell was about to take off, and get Noon right now before anyone touched her, but he stopped when he saw she had come. A wave of relief swept through his body, but as soon as he had felt it, he felt the need to destroy.

"Scared? Of you? Don't make me laugh." He did so. "Still playing with little toys."

Noon could sense something was wrong with Cell. She could feel a sudden thirst for blood thrive off his aura.

"Cell?"

Upon hearing Noon's voice he launched towards her, and hit her hard in the face. She landed with a loud thump upon the arena, blood coming from her mouth, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She sat upright, but clutched her aching face, confused beyond anything. With a small 'humph' Cell had taken flight, and was now standing atop a large cliff face.

"He's running!"

"Running?" Noon could hear the cocky edge in his voice. "No. I just don't want you clumsy idiots to ruin my arena."

"Cell!" Noon was trying to shout, but all that came out was a throaty whisper. "C-Cell! D-Don't!"

Cell couldn't hear her. Or alternatively, he wasn't listening. He just waited for the army in front of him to stop shooting. They did so within time.

"From your silence I guess that it's my turn." He raised his hand, and Noon could feel his energy rise.

"The army have been left completely speechless. Cell is still standing without a scratch on him! Now he seems to be…raising his hand…"

Noon could hear the news reporters' clear words, and tried desperately to shout again.

"No Cell! Please don't."

But by the time she had finished her sentence, Cell had already swung his energized arm. Noon covered her head to protect her ears from both the huge explosions, and the cries of hundreds of men. It didn't take two seconds for the noise to stop, and silence haunted Noon as she stood up.

A small squeak told Noon that Cell had landed on the other side of the ring, and she looked in his direction for an explanation for his actions.

"What's the matter Noon?"

"W-What do…you think…is t-t-the m-matter? You j-just k-killed an entire army!"

"I did it so they wouldn't touch you—"

"That's a lie!"

"And why do you say that?"

"Because you hit me yourself!" She started to back away from him. "Keep away from me!"

"But Noon, I thought you wanted to come near me. You came here, after all."

"N-No. You…You're a monster…and…"

"And what?" He tone was getting to Noon, and her eyes began to sting, determined not to cry at his cruelty.

"I hate you."

Cell's smirk disappeared. Instead, a hand found it's way around Noon's throat. Noon didn't struggle. In fact, she was blessing a quick death, compared to the one she was going to receive. Her head was just getting light, when he let go; the air finding it's way back into Noon's lungs.

"Get…out…of…here." She could tell his teeth were gritted, but Noon didn't move. Cell's mood was changing again, and she could feel it. "What are you waiting for? If you _hate_ a _monster _like me so much, then just get lost."

"Fine. Wouldn't want to waste time with a disgusting creature such as myself now, would you?"

"You've got that right."

With a frown, she turned her back on him, only to let a single tear run down her face. She knew no more words would become exchanged, so she left the ring, leaving him clueless as to how much she was hurt.

-----

Cell paced his arena several times. Her words burnt into him like a red-hot poker, and they hurt. Cell had been called a monster before, but never by Noon, and somehow, her words were different to everyone else's. They meant more to him.

A monster?

She once told him he wasn't a monster…but he guessed that his actions had caused her to think differently.

He stopped his pacing. Again the word "disgusting" had cropped up, and as much as Cell tried to stop it, he felt stupid for lowering her to that level yet again. He felt no guilt, but he wanted to set things straight. He had lowered her to a 'revolting witch' level, and whether it meant speaking to her, or just plain killing her, he had to see her again.

He tensed his upper muscles and spread his wings, but before he could take off, the floor seemed to begin moving. Suddenly Cell's vision had become blurry, and he had fallen to his knees. Slowly, he flattened out onto the floor, and it wasn't long before he was sleeping in a way a human would for the first time in his existence…

-----

Noon paced the 'garden' of her home several times. His words made her shiver at their coldness, and they hurt. Noon had been called disgusting before, and always by Cell, but somehow, this time didn't seem quite right. It didn't seem to mean anything.

Disgusting?

He had called her that only once, but it had come up a few times in their conversations…perhaps she had tricked herself into thinking that he thought otherwise.

She stopped her pacing. Again the word "monster" had cropped up, and as much as Noon tried to stop it, she felt stupid for lowering him to that level. She felt regret, and she wanted to take it back. She had lowered him to the 'beast hiding in the cupboard' level, and whether it meant speaking to him, or just plain getting herself killed, she had to see him again.

She didn't make it past her tree however; before she fell asleep in a way she had been wanting to for the past couple of days, the dragon glowing brightly on her chest…

-----

It was dark. Then again, it was always dark for Noon. But now, amongst the darkness, she could see shadows. Noon was there, as was Cell. It was definitely the two of them, but they were shadows to Noon. Noon knew she was dreaming, and that she was dreaming of Cell standing in front of her. However, as the 'shadow' placed his hands on her shoulders, it all began to feel very real. Within no time at all, it was as though life was going on, as she would normally experience it.

Cell was feeling the same way. He had never dreamt before, but he could see Noon clearly in front of him, and when he placed his hands on her shoulder, he felt as though it was all real. She was wearing exactly what she had been when they last spoke, and the material felt almost as smooth as her skin beneath his fingers.

The two stood together in Noon's home, and for a long time neither moved an inch. But the peace was lost when Cell's face morphed into a deep frown, and he seized Noon around the neck once again. He was pressing hard, but it seemed that he was struggling. At first it looked as though he was struggling to keep his fingers curled around her neck, but it was soon apparent that he was trying desperately not to strangle her at all. He let her go, but reached towards her again. His arms were outstretched slightly, and he was battling to keep them away.

Noon was confused. This had happened a fair few times now, and it seemed as though Cell was having an inward fight with himself. For some reason, Noon found herself wanting him to stop. She placed a hand on his.

"You don't have to do this." She found herself saying.

"You…don't think I'm a monster?"

"No Cell."

"Do you hate me?" Something in his voice made Noon's face grow sorrowful.

"No Cell, I do not hate you."

His hands lurched forward, but instead of them coiling around her neck like she expected, they found their way to the back of her head, where they ran through her hair as he brought his lips against hers.

Gasping inwardly, Noon's eyes closed with the moment, and she allowed Cell to work on her mouth. He paused to give them air, before smashing their lips together once again. His kiss was demanding.Noon returned the kiss with just as much force, and Cell's hands immediately smoothed down to her waist. Neither knew exactly what was going on, but they didn't stop their caresses. Both Noon, and Cell's hands explored each other. Noon's hands running up Cell's chest, and Cell's hands running up Noon's back. Every touch sent sensations up each of them, and soon the two were caught up in a frenzy of almost electrical pleasure. Cell pulled Noon close to him, and Noon slid her tongue across one side of his angular ear.

Letting out a moan, he picked her up, and laid her roughly on the ground, her arms landing above her head. Their lips never met again, but their heads and their cheeks and lips rubbed, causing bizarre erotic tingles to shoot through their bodies. Cell began to kiss her neck hard, and Noon couldn't help but allow soft moans to escape her lips. The sound of her pleasure seemed to spur Cell on, because before she knew it, she was now naked beneath him, his body holding her firmly to the floor to prevent any escape. Starting with her navel, Cell dragged his burning hot lips right up her arching body, only to get to the dragon, where she let out a loud exclamation of pleasure. They didn't need overly sexual activities…the sense of touch was enough for those two. Noon reached up through heaving breaths, and discovered that Cell had somehow got his blindfold on. Panting wildly, Cell gently took Noon's hand and placed it by her side, so he could suckle on the dragon once again. As he did so, it began to disappear, as well as give Noon the most pleasure she had ever experienced in her long life.

She had lived a life of celibacy after all…

No…she _has _lived a life of celibacy…

They were still dreaming…

…And that is when they woke up.

-----

"What…the hell was that?" Noon sat up straight, to find herself alone under the tree.

"That was a dream? It seemed so real." She placed a hand on the dragon, of which was still glowing, and sighed. "I wonder what that meant."

It took a few minutes for Noon to get herself orientated. By now she could remember the dream and what had happened, but the feelings she had experienced had drifted away. She wiped her brow, which was drenched in sweat, and bit her bottom lip.

"Is Cell having an internal struggle? Yes, maybe that's why his mood changes so suddenly. He's listening to two things at once. Dr. Gero's orders, and…what he really wants…" She allowed her head to droop slightly.

"No, that couldn't posibly be it."

Noon wanted to go and see Cell, but she felt so weak and shaky that she doubted she'd make it. She wondered if he had dreamt too, but it occurred to her that Cell didn't seem to sleep.

She only had to sit there for a further five minutes, however, when she heard the squeak of a certain android's feet right in front of the waterfall. He soon made his appearance in front of her, and she could sense that he was tense.

"Do you hate me, Noon?"

Noon's mouth hung open. Maybe he _had_ dreamt, too.

"No Cell…I do not hate you."


	18. Drawing Temptation

A/N: Hey there everybody! Thankies for the reviews!

**aquasage:** I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think I've ever seen a DBZ movie with Cell in it. Not even in movie 12 when Frieza appears. To be honest, I have no idea why, because _every _single other bad guy is there! The only time I've seen Piccolo fighting a big green dude is in the lost movie, where he fights Lord Slug, and Frieza, Turles, and Cooler are there. As for kid Goku, the only time I see him with Cell is in GT down in hell during the fight with Super Android 17. You probably already know this, so I'm most likely wasting your time, but this is all I know. It's a shame really that neither Cell or Buu appear in a movie.

Sorry to be of no help whatsoever, but please enjoy the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 17 – Drawing Temptation 

The silence was unnerving. If the situation wasn't so seemingly awkward, Noon might have forgotten Cell was there. He cleared his throat and swallowed hard, before shuffling his feet slightly.

"Do you really think I'm disgusting?"

He stopped moving his feet, allowing the silence to creep through once again. It seemed that he was contemplating his answer very carefully.

"No…quite the opposite, really. I was about to make my way here when…"

"You began to dream."

"Precisely"

"Yes…the same happened to me."

"I expected as much."

"You did?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"I…don't know."

"…Oh…you said you were on your way to see me?"

"Yes, that's right…I wanted to speak to you. Just as you wanted to speak to me."

"There is something on your mind?"

"…Noon…" He knelt down beside her, and she could feel her heartbeat quicken. "…Why don't you hate me?"

"…I have no reason t—"

"You have every reason to. I'm a _villain_, bent on destroying the Earth I know you love. I delight in causing pain. Just an hour ago…I destroyed an entire army, and you told me you hate—"

"Stop." She exclaimed softly, placing a finger over his partially parted lips. "I've heard quite enough." She withdrew her hand slowly, and Cell closed his mouth and opened his eyes, of which he found had closed as a reaction to Noon's touch. "I have no reason to hate you, because I know you have the ability to enjoy life how it should be lived."

"What do you mean?"

Noon sat up, and placed a hand onto his chest. "Don't you see? You're following orders, Cell. You're not always doing what you _want _to do."

He frowned, and Noon felt that that his mood had changed. " And how could _you_ possibly know _that_?" Noon could hear the sharp tone of his voice return. "I was created to destroy, and _that _is all I ever want to do."

"Is it really? Or is that _Gero _talking? Why do you want to destroy life, without even allowing it to try and appreciate _you_?"

"And who, or _what_ in life, would appreciate me? Answer me that, Noon!"

"_I _would! I _do_!"

"…But…As soon as I do something, you hate me, just as everyone else does! The _monster _Cell!" He stood up quickly. "You…couldn't possibly appreciate the power that lies within me! Now…I'm leaving, for good before you say anything else _stupid_! And don't ever expect me to return!" He turned his back, and headed for the waterfall. He got about as far as the mouth of the entrance, when Noon's voice stopped him.

"Cell! If you're going to just _walk_ out, then answer me this! Why have you not killed me?"

Cell took a very long time to reply. "…Because I had no reason to."

"Even now?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"If this is truly the last time I will see you, then I assume you've gotten everything you need from me! So you might as well kill me now!"

"Don't be absurd, woman! If I did that, then I'd just be living up to my _monster _stereotype!"

"Oh, For goodness sake, Cell!" Cell's eyes widened. Noon had stood, and he could see a hint of desperation within her pale eyes. "I do _not_, and _never will _hate you, because you are _no _monster to _me_!" She sank back down to her knees, apparently out of breath.

"Oh, just go. If you won't kill me…then just use the things I've taught you against the Z Fighters. That's what you _want_, right?"

Cell seemed to be at a complete loss for words.

"What you have taught and shown me is for _me_ personally. I will never share it with anyone, or use it against another living soul. And…well…I don't want to kill you. That I'm sure."

"You've tried. Several times."

"I know…I could kill you right now, but I've firmly decided not to."

"But why?"

"To be honest, I'm not so sure. There's still much about you I don't know."

"I don't know much about myself…or you."

Silence again. Cell looked around the cavern, his mind replaying the conversation that had just taken place, and the dream.

"But…you even tried to kill me in our dream."

Cell guessed that the dream was on her mind, too. "Yes I know, but I didn't."

"Hmmm…I told you I didn't hate you."

"That's right. And then I…"

"And then you kissed me."

He looked at her, to see that she wasn't trying to meet his gaze. She was running her hand through the grass, her directed to a similar cast to a similar area. Desperate to change the subject they were both thinking about, and suddenly not so keen to leave Noon, Cell cast his eyes around again, as to look for some sort of inspiration. Suddenly spotting something on the ground just to his side, he smirked. Stooping, he picked up the leather-bound book of Noon's drawings. He had left it there when the men had grabbed Noon, right next to where she had left her boots. He was surprised that he even spotted it. It was well hidden in the shadows, and had obviously gone unnoticed by Noon.

"Y'know…you never did answer my question."

"Which one?" Noon replied wearily. Cell looked at her with an eye ridge raised. She had become drowsy abnormally fast. He placed the book in front of her, and she ran a hand across it.

"How do you do this? Your drawings are exquisite."

"T-Thanks." Cell allowed himself a broad smirk. He had never seen Noon blush. "I've never let anyone look at them."

"You should."

Noon looked towards the ground, obviously shy about her artwork. "You er…asked me a question?"

"Yes, I did. There is a drawing of me in this book. It isn't quite right, but I can certainly tell it's me, and I know that you have never seen what I look like. So I want to know how you do that."

"Oh, I see. I know the drawing is a little off, but that's because I use my…senses to draw. And since I had only met you briefly in your complete form when I drew this…I hadn't gotten close enough, for long enough, to be accurate."

"Hmmm." Cell left down one tunnel quickly, and returned with one of Noon's pencils. Handing her the book, and the pencil, Cell saw that Noon was wondering what he was doing. "I want you to try again." He explained.

"You want me to draw you properly?"

"That's right. I'm curious as to what techniques you use, an how exactly you use them."

"You and your curiosity, it'll be the death of you…" She chuckled lightly, but Cell could see a slight tinge creep back to her cheeks. "…But…are you sure you want me to do this? It'll take a while…and…it will be quite thorough."

"I'm sure. Do whatever it takes."

-----

The lookout was spotless as per usual, Mr. Popo tending to his plants with a somewhat saddened expression. He missed Kami terribly. Piccolo had fused with him, and there was no going back now. He looked over to Piccolo, or 'Kamiccolo' as Goku had once called him, and smiled slightly as he saw that he was watching over the Earth. Tien was beside him, and Trunks, too. But they looked extremely serious.

"He's getting too close to her."

"Hmmm."

"Is she always like that with her enemies?"

"No." The three of them looked to Vegeta. "Frieza always followed her like a sick puppy…but she hated him."

"What are you saying?"

"That she isn't always like that with her enemies. That is what you asked, isn't it?"

"Yes…well…I don't know Noon all that well."

"Neither do I really. It was my mother who knew most about her."

"That's a lie. I spent my days working for Frieza with her…I know what she's like. Let her do as she pleases, she's going to die."

"Maybe so, but…she isn't safe with him…he could do anything to h—"

Everyone went very quiet when they sensed a familiar energy.

"…Is that…?"

"But they're three hours early!"

Goku and Gohan emerged from the shadows, their hair golden. Both Super Saiyans. They looked around in unison, before pulling identical smirks.

"So…er…is anyone gonna fill us in?"

-----

"…And that's the whole story so far."

"So Cell absorbed android 18?"

"That's right."

"And we have only a few days until he holds his tournament?"

"Yes. For some reason, he only gave us five days to prepare. But right now on _this _day, his tournament isn't the problem. It's Noon."

"Hmmm. He seems to be spending a lot of time with her. To be honest, I can't believe she's still alive."

"She may be alive, Goku, but she is still in danger."

"Do you think he can…?"

"We don't know if it's even possible."

"Even if it were, Kamiccolo—"

"It's just Piccolo."

"Er…ok. Even if it were possible…would he?"

"He's a villain." Trunks spat. "He'll do anything if it's possible."

"But…rape? No. I don't think he would do that. Especially not to Noon. He is a fighter, who lives for fighting, not women."

"I don't think we can take any chances!"

"Alright, alright Trunks! I'll go down there, and make sure everything is ok. Ok?"

-----

It took a little while for Noon to get Cell into the place she wanted. After all, she couldn't exactly see where to put him. Eventually she just asked him to stand straight, which was something he was good at doing.

"Just keep your arms to your sides. Don't cross them. Ok. I think I'm ready to draw you." She placed the book beside her on the ground.

"So…how exactly are you going to do this?"

"Er…like this…" She moved forward, and placed her hand directly in front of her face, which ended up at the black shiny panel-like section in the middle of his chest. She traced the outline of his chest, not taking too much time because she had explored the area before. Once she had spent a minute or two there, she picked up the book and drew what she had felt. Sure enough, his chest appeared on the paper.

"That…is amazing."

"You think?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you want me to continue like this?"

"Yes." Was his simple answer.

"Ok. I'll start properly from the feet and work my way up. Ok?"

"Umm Hmm."

"Ok."

Noon didn't take long to draw his legs. They weren't exactly the biggest part of his body. She continued upwards, and came to the ridge-like edges of the top of his legs. She rubbed them lightly with a look of interest on her face, before bending down to draw them. She paused before going any further. She knew where she was heading, and if she weren't careful, would embarrass both herself and Cell.

"I wouldn't worry. You won't find anything." He said it without any hint of embarrassment, and he didn't seem tense, so she allowed her hand to travel. She realised at that point, that her and Cell were very different anatomically. She ran her fingers down the shiny black surface between his legs, which she realised was the same as his chest, and proceeded to draw it. She was about to go back to that very same area, when she heard him swallow hard. He was starting to get tense..._again_. Not wanting to know if she had just caused his body to stir inwardly, she moved to his midriff, where one finger slowly brushed past purple rubber ridges in his skin indented just above his waist.

"Do these help your flexibility or something?"

"That is what was intended, yes."

"Can you feel everywhere I'm going?" She heard him swallow once again.

"Yes. I can feel everything."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"…No…certainly not…why do you ask?"

"I just don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Cell remembered what he had said the last time she went to show him something. He had told her not to 'go touching him'.

"You are a very considerate woman, Noon. I thank you for that, but no, I do not want you to stop, because I do not feel uncomfortable around you."

Noon listened to his words with interest. There was something about his voice that captivated her. She sighed, and Cell felt her breath against his skin. He looked to his side, and was amazed at how well the drawing was turning out, but a question suddenly sprung to mind.

"I won't be able to draw your face." She answered his question before he had even asked it.

"Why?"

"Because…I can't really get close enough."

"How do you mean?"

"Well…I mean that I don't like to use my hands for such close detail…"

"We'll sort that problem out when we get to it."

"So you…"

"I told you…I want an accurate picture. But as I said, we'll sort that out when we get to it."

"Oh…ok."

She looked up, and Cell guessed that she was wondering about his head.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Could you please kneel for me?" He did so, spreading his wings as far as they would go to allow him such an awkward position.

"Is this ok?" Noon moved forward, and reached out in front of her. Whist Cell was kneeling as tall as he could; they were of the same height. She examined the crest on his head with unmistakable awe, before using one finger to travel down to his forehead. As she did this, Cell relaxed and sat upon his legs and feet, so he wasn't kneeling straight up. He bowed his head, and Noon could feel the crest eventually merge into his neck at the back.

Cell smirked. Noon's touches were starting to tickle him, but he wouldn't admit it.

"Yes. That's perfect. Now…do you want me to finish you off? I've got your arms drawn, and just your face is left."

"Yes. Show me." Something in his voice took Noon by surprise. Was it…desperation?

Noon flicked her wrists, and the pencil, and book began to move, the pencil eventually floating in the air above the book. Cell couldn't explain to himself why, but he was anticipating this. Noon paused, before connecting her nose to his. Cell couldn't help but chuckle, and Noon could feel it vibrate through their noses as it came from deep within his chest. She slowly rubbed her nose up and down and from side to side, and soon Cell was doing the same. If anybody would have seen them, they'd have said they looked adorable. She nuzzled at his face gently, and the while directing her pencil to take shape, could feel a line running down from each eye, and another round his chin.

Cell just smiled to himself, his eyes closed with the blissful relaxation of Noon's soft caresses. Noon opened her eyes, and made a move to look down to him, at the same time Cell looked up to her, and their lips brushed very slightly. Neither moved, but could feel their breath upon each other. As though on cue, the two brought their heads together and took in a deep breath, rubbing their cheeks, noses and lips together, just like they had done in their dream. The drawing now abandoned beside them, Cell wrapped his arms around Noon to pull her close, whilst Noon wrapped hers around his neck. Cell pulled her body as close as she would go, and Noon placed a hand on his chest to keep herself from falling. This failed, however, because it made Cell lean back further, Noon falling, and consequently lying right onto his chest.

They stopped moving for a few minutes, and Noon could feel Cell's heartbeat thrashing in his chest. She hooked her arms under his for support, Cell's arms by his sides on the ground to support them both. They were both panting furiously, and Noon couldn't help feeling a little heated up about it. There was something about hearing and feeling Cell getting knackered that made her feel oddly satisfied, plus raising her body temperature.

Cell didn't really know what he was feeling, other than something he had never felt before. He had dreamt about it, yes. But right now it was actually happening, and it felt incredible. His cells told him that she had never experienced this either, and he wondered whether she felt as exhilarated as he did. He looked up into her eyes. If this is what that felt like for real, he wondered greatly what it would be like to actually kiss her for real.

He used his arms to raise himself up, but this proved difficult with Noon lying on his chest. Moving her would be against his plan, though, so he just raised his head towards hers. He was struggling to get to her, his lips only inches away from her, and she was clueless as to what he was trying to do. Again a sense of desperation swept over him. He just wanted to kiss her lush, full lips for real. He had almost met his target, when he felt a hand on the stump of his tail.

"Is this your tail?"

Cell didn't reply at first, but cursed inwardly.

"That is what remains of it. After I absorbed the androids, I had no more use for it, so it retracted into my body. It is almost completely dead, and I can hardly feel anything through it."

"…Oh…" Apparently not overly satisfied with stopping there, she moved her hands up, her face getting close to Cell's. As she did so, she could feel his wings, and a triangular shape above his tail. This was where his tail and wings join, leaving gaps. Noon traced her finger through the gaps, and Cell waited patiently for her to finish. She had finished on his right wing, and was slowly making her way back to the other side when his body started to heat up. Noticing this, Noon continued towards his left wing, but instead of stopping, she passed the triangular-like centre, and allowed her hand to move under his left wing.

Cell's eyes widened, and he couldn't believe what he was feeling. It was as though Noon was running her lips all the way across his body, and he suddenly desired it. He swallowed very hard, trying to force the lump in his throat down, and started to breathe heavily once again. Noon paused. He could feel that? She moved her hand further under the wing, realising she could only do so because his wings were spread as far as they could go, and Cell suddenly let out a soft gasp. But before Noon could take any further action, they were both falling unconscious once again…

* * *


	19. A Perfectionist's Struggle

A/N: A huge apology to you all for the late update. This chapter certainly took a while to sort out!

Thanks for the reviews! They certainly brought a smile to my face today!

* * *

Chapter 18 – A Perfectionist's Struggle

The sand was so soft under Noon's feet, the sound of waves meeting her ears with a pleasant tingle. She recognised where she was immediately. The lack of life energy told her she was standing on her favourite deserted beach. One wave dared cross the others, and separated between her bare toes. She cast her eyes down towards them, and the sand sticking to her wet feet.

She sighed, looking back towards the sunset, before closing her eyes to the light breeze that brushed past, her hair waving only slightly. Keeping her relaxed eyes closed, she placed her hand onto her smooth neck, and massaged it as though bathing in the cool air. She stayed stood like this, a hand on her neck, her head tilted. She looked lost in her own little world, seemingly forgetting that she was dreaming.

"So here we are again."

Noon jumped, forcing her eyes open to look to her left. She hadn't noticed Cell standing there at all, but now she knew he was there, she could tell he wasn't too happy.

"So we are." She said quietly to herself. "What's wrong, Cell?" She gave him a small smile, and she sensed his mood change instantly.

"Nothing is wrong, Noon." He replied calmly. "But I would like to know what is going on." Immediately he felt stupid. He was an android, created by a genius doctor. He was designed to know everything there was to know about the Earth and its inhabitants. He hated to be in the dark about anything. He _hated_ not to know what the _hell_ was going on.

"Well…" She walked up to him, and tried to direct her eyes to his. "…That makes two of us."

Cell allowed himself a smile. This woman had the ability to do that often. Whether it was her kind and patient nature, or her fiery temper, the mysterious aura she gave off, or the sometimes blunt simplicity of her words, Cell never grew tired of Noon. Right now, she had joined him in his confusion, and he no longer felt stupid. Yes, he had been created to know everything about the Earth and its inhabitants, but Noon was one creature he longed to understand. She didn't run when he came towards her. She didn't scream pathetically, even in the face of death. In fact, Cell had forgotten a few times that Noon was indeed nearing her end. He had fought her, in a form not even she understood, and she had spared him. Why? Again, he didn't know. She had told him she had no reason to, and this was something that confused him greatly. However, this lack of knowledge didn't frustrate him, it intrigued him.

But in the end, in the back of his mind, there was something he _did_ know. He didn't want Noon to die.

"I…don't want you to die." He said it before his mind could even interrupt.

Noon looked at him, mildly confused, but hugely surprised.

"You don't? But we've already fought."

"It isn't that."

She turned her body fully towards him. "Then what is it?"

He didn't know. He seriously couldn't find any sort of reasonable answer for her perfectly understandable question.

"I honestly couldn't tell you."

"Well…there isn't anything anyone can do about it. Nobody! Not even you!" Cell's eyes widened, shocked by her sudden outburst.

"I didn't ask for that!"

"Well…" She looked back up at him, and he couldn't quite read her expression. Something had come over Noon very quickly, and Cell wasn't liking it. "...Sometimes you get things without even asking." Her voice had changed, but Cell couldn't quite figure out how, and he was trying to work out exactly what she had said. Any of Cell's thoughts at that point were cut short when she placed both hands onto his chest, and pushed him into the sand. Unable to keep his footing on the barely-walked grains, Cell slipped and landed on his back. Her face serious, Noon got on top of him, one leg on each side of his waist. Blinking once, then twice, then a third time, Cell realised that she was straddling him.

"What…are you doing?" He knew full well. He just wanted to know why.

"What? Don't you like it?" He didn't like her tone. Not one bit. It was far too sly for Noon.

"No I do not."

"That is a lie, Cell. And you know it."

"What has come over you? Get off me." Cell motioned to sit up, but Noon pushed him back against the sand, his wings spreading. She smirked, before slipping her hand underneath his left wing to where it joined to his back.

Cell's eyes widened. His body heated furiously, and one of his hands began to grip uselessly against the sand. When she didn't cease, he found his breathing quicken. His blood pulsated about his body faster than it had ever before, and it wasn't long before his left leg was twitching. She leant her head down to whisper into his ear.

"Do you like that, Cell? I don't suppose you've ever experienced pleasure, have you?" If this had been Noon, he'd have probably said that he was enjoying her attention. But Cell knew that Noon would never touch a person against their wishes, even if this were a dream. He knew that this woman straddling his waist was not Noon.

"Who are you?"

"Who do you think? Just take a look at me."

"You are not Noon. Get off me right n—" Before he could finish what he was obviously going to say, 'Noon' had forced herself onto him, engaging him in a kiss. Cell knew from there, that this _definitely _wasn't the Noon he knew. Not returning the kiss in any way, he grabbed the offending woman's' shoulders, and pulled away.

"Alright, alright. You caught me. She rested onto her elbows on Cell's chest. "You caught me." As soon as she had said it, an image appeared above Noon's head, and Cell noticed that it was much like an image he had once produced of android 17, whilst trying to convince 18 to become a part of him. However, he also recognised who the image was of, and suddenly wasn't so surprised at what had happened.

He was scowling at the face of Dusk.

"Well hello handsome." She manipulated Noon's body to rest her chin onto a cupped hand. Cell didn't reply through his angry expression and gritted teeth.

"What's the matter? You don't look at all pleased to see me."

"Why would I be pleased to see _you_?"

"Temper, temper." The image retracted back into Noon, but her tone remained the same.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing. I just enjoy torturing my big sister, that's all. But…I'm glad I came. You're quite the character."

"What do you mean? What are you doing to her?"

"I can't take your mind off her, can I? Perhaps you could be _quite_ the problem. As for Noon, she knows everything that's going on. I'd say she could see what is happening but…y'know…she can't." Cell snarled. "Not happy today? Well neither is she, I can assure you. I can feel her struggling. She's screaming right now. She hates being restrained, y'know. It's one of her worst fears, the inability to move. I'll get her for that little weakness."

"You're sickening." He raised his fist to punch her hard, but was stopped when she waved a finger at him.

"Tut tut, Cell. I'm using her body…you're going to hurt her." He swung his fist as hard as he could in his slightly weakened and sickened state, and Noon's body skidded across the sand. Cell stood, and waited for her to get up. It didn't take long for her to do so, and she fixed him with a curious glare.

"Do I look as though I care?" He saw Dusk raise one of Noon's eyebrows.

"Well…I guess…that maybe you're not as big a threat as I first thought." Cell's face stayed completely neutral as he thought about her words. He raised an eye ridge however when she waved two fingers at him.

"See ya!" Noon's body fell to the ground, and Cell remained where he was.

"Noon?"

Noon stood, her hands shaking, and her eyes wide. With a glance in Cell's direction, she began to back away, apologising profusely.

"I tried to stop it."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Cell, I'm sorry." He crossed over to her quickly, and placed a finger over her lips.

"Don't be." He turned away from Noon. "It's your damned sister who should be sorry."

Silence ensued, and Noon wasn't keen on it.

"I keep forgetting that we're dreaming."

He turned back to her, and looked down to her sorrowful gaze. Slowly, he placed a hand onto her rosy cheek, and moved his thumb across her ear. Noon closed her eyes to his suddenly tender touch, and Cell allowed yet another smile. His thumb travelled around her ear, before coming to rest on the ball of her earring, where it jingled pleasantly in the silent air. Cell noticed a smile creep onto her face, and he knew she liked him doing that. He ran his hand across the bruise on her cheek, but knew that his reasoning was excusable. She knew it too. He had done it because he somehow _knew_ it would get rid of Dusk. But why, he couldn't quite understand.

"Cell?"

"Yes, Noon?"

"This dream…has been turned into a nightmare."

"Why do you say that?"

"What Dusk did…it seemed so real."

"Don't let your sisters' actions take their toll on you. Let us stand now…together."

"Cell…I…feel as though I'm going to survive. My mind is playing cruel tricks on me." She opened her eyes to level his gaze. "Cell, what's happening to us? I mean, it all has to mean _something._"

"Noon…you are going to survive."

"No. I'm not." She replied softly, so that Cell didn't become on edge. "There is nothing to stop it."

"I will not let you die."

"You cannot protect me from it." She began to shake slightly.

"Are you afraid?"

"Yes. I am."

"What are you afraid of Noon? You have died once before."

"It isn't death, or pain, that scares me. It is dying completely alone. I've never found out who, or what I am, and…to be alone when I die scares me more than anything."

"I assure you." Cell's finger found it's way to Noon's lips for the second time. "You will not be alone."

He leant down, and claimed her lips with his own with a rough kiss. She returned it, and Cell found himself not caring that they were dreaming. One hand rested on her shoulder, whilst the other massaged the dragon on her ear. Her mind numbing quickly, Noon wasn't thinking rationally when she hooked her arms underneath his for support. Her hand brushed against the joint underneath his left wing, but instead of backing away or looking disgusted, Cell let himself moan into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Cell couldn't help it. He knew it was definitely Noon caressing his only weak spot, and it was this fact that drove him crazy. He had to restrain himself from simply tearing the thin layer of silk that separated him and the softest of skin. Instead he pulled away, panting heavily, his thumb making her earring jangle as the two of them woke up.

-----

Cell was the first to stir. The first thing he noticed about his surrounds was the fact that he was laid directly on top of Noon. He could feel her cheek against his, and her soundless breathing tickling past his ear. She took a deep breath, and began to stir beneath him. Feeling her body push against him, Cell realised how close they were, and suddenly remembering what Dusk had said, he shifted to move his somewhat heavy body from Noon's to allow her to move freely. Before he could do so properly however, he had to grab her body, waking her with a start, and deflect a very familiar energy blast away from them.

"Goku! What do you think you are doing?" Cell's face was scrunched up in obvious irritation, his teeth gritted angrily.

"Cell! You get away from her!"

"What?" Cell snarled. He hated being told what to do.

"Put Noon down!"

"Why should I? That energy blast _you _sent could have killed her in the current condition she's in!"

Goku descended down through the darkness to reach Noon and Cell.

"I saw you." Goku hissed in a way Noon had never heard. "Get your dirty hands off her."

Cell put Noon down, but kept her close to his side. "I did nothing." By the sound of things, Noon could tell that Cell wasn't one to be accused of anything he wasn't doing.

"Oh yeah? Well what were you _going_ to do right then?" Noon suddenly realised exactly what Goku was accusing Cell of.

"No Goku! You don't under—"

"No Noon! You don't understand. You are in danger with him. Trunks was right."

"No Goku. Trunks is wrong. You have been mistaken." Goku looked curiously at Noon, wondering why on Earth she would defend him. He narrowed his eyes at Cell, and then looked back down at Noon.

"You should come back with me."

"And why should she do that?"

"Because she doesn't belong here with you."

"Why don't you just mind your own business?"

"It's ok Cell…I'll go." Cell's eyes widened slightly.

"You're leaving? You're going back with him?"

Goku seemed to relax. "Good. Let's go." Noon nodded, but then looked up towards Cell, who had become silenced.

"Alright. I'll meet you up there." She pointed upwards, towards the darkness, but she could tell that Goku was still suspicious.

"Don't worry, I'll be right there. I promise."

"No. You need to come now."

"She can make her own decisions!"

"Cell..." Noon placed a hand on his wing, out of sight and unbeknown to Goku, and stroked it tenderly. Cell inclined his head down to her direction, his expression softening instantly. She looked up to meet his gaze, and she smiled at him, much like in the dream they had shared. He found a small smile return to his features, but it soon disappeared when he heard Goku clear his throat. He looked at him with a cold gaze.

"I would say we should fight right now, Goku. But then my tournament would be pointless, wouldn't it?"

"Don't worry. You will get your fight. Come on Noon."

"Fine." She reached into her pocket, retrieving something in a balled fist. She passed Cell with one last glance, brushing her hand against his to force it open. Getting the idea, he accepted what Noon was offering, without once taking his eyes off Goku's. Closing his hand for him, Noon went to stand next to Goku. Without another word, the two exited, leaving Cell completely alone.

It was too quiet. Solitude was something Cell usually appreciated, but right now he was without Noon. Her musical voice no longer met his ears in the beauty of her home. They had gone barely two minutes, and yet he missed the sound of Noon's voice, her laughter. He missed her witty comments, her passion for everything she stood for.

He stayed where he was for an hour, staring at the same empty vegetable box, the dream running through his head a countless number of times. Finally, he turned to leave, and it was then he noticed he had something in his tightly gripping hand. Slowly, and almost grudgingly, he looked at what Noon had given him. As he opened his hand, the red silk flowed over his hand. He grasped it between his finger and thumb, sliding it between them. She had given this to him. One might think it was her final farewell. But he knew…that this was her silent way of telling him he would see her again.

-----

"Goku? Do you honestly think Cell would have done that?"

"Well…I did do. He's a villain."

"Maybe so. But he saved me from that fate once."

"He did?" Noon nodded, whilst Goku blinked several times.

"When humans came into my home. I was weak, and one of the men was about to attack me. Cell stepped in."

"Woah. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't give me much of a chance."

"Oh…sorry."

"It's ok. I can understand why you did it. He's murdered many people." She sighed. "But then again…I wonder if it's truly what he wants."

"How do you mean?"

"Sometimes…I think he'd just kiss me."

"Are you serious?"

She nodded. "Yes, but at others, like when he destroyed the army, he sets out to kill me. Thing is, I say one thing…and he can't go through with it. It's as though he's listening to two things at once."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

"I can't decide whether to kiss him or kill him, myself."

"Do you mean like your dreams?" Noon blushed. She had told Goku briefly about the dreams, but not in any detail.

"Exactly."

"Has he…_actually _shown any affection towards you?" Goku wasn't someone who spoke, or thought about this topic often, and Noon could tell that.

"Other than in the sleeping realm, we have never shared a kiss."

Goku sat up. "Really?"

"Really."

"Oh…"

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really." A few clouds passed, a fish jumped out of the clear water in the stream in front of them. "Do you want to see him again?"

"I wouldn't mind." She sighed before turning her head to face Goku. "You must think I'm crazy. Maybe I am."

Goku let out a small laugh, taking Noon by surprise. "I don't think you're crazy! Take a look at Bulma and Vegeta! They don't show it much, but I bet they love each other, and Vegeta was one of our enemies!"

Noon thought she was going to choke on the air around her. "Hey woah woah woah! Who said anything about love?" Goku had now sat up, the morning sun casting shadows onto his angular face.

"I just assumed you did. From what you were saying."

"I…could never love him."

"Because he's a monster?"

"No. He isn't a monster. He never _has_ been, and that comment I will always stand by."

"So you couldn't love him…because?"

"Because…well…I don't know. What would be the point? I'm going to die, anyway. Besides, we've only just met."

"Seems like you know him more than anyone else on the planet."

"What's with you, Goku? First you're determined to keep me away from him…the next you seem to think I love him."

Goku shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"

"Goku, he's evil!"

"Do you actually think that?"

"N-No. I don't."

"Why are you hiding it?"

"I'm not!"

"Are you going to see him?"

Noon cast a curious look at Goku. "I might do. I'll think about it. The day is still young, and it seems I have another day on the internal clock."

"Yeah, you ain't doin' too bad for an old woman."

"Thank you, Krillin. Nice of you to join us with such comments."

"No prob. Listen, I think Chi-chi's looking for you."

"I should imagine she is. I said I'd help her with Gohan's birthday cake." She stood up, and put her boots back on. "I'd better go. See you guys later."

-----

Noon hadn't felt so happy, or so comfortable in a very long time. The table was full of food, and the cake she and Chi-chi had made was sat in the middle of it. Chi-chi had even made faces of Goku, Gohan, and herself on it. It was a small group gathered around it, but Noon loved them all. She was wearing some of her best clothes, and she had presented Gohan his present with excitement. Unfortunately, Chi-chi had insisted on eating the cake first, so Noon had to wipe her face when the whole table collapsed.

"Right. I'm back."

"Did you get all of it out?"

"Yeah, it was a piece of cake." The room filled with laughter, and Noon joined them.

"That was even cornier than some of Krillin's jokes!"

"Oh, very funny, Goku!"

"Come on Gohan! Open mine!" Gohan took the parcel from Noon, a little surprised. Inside were some items of exquisitely made clothing, and a large blue stone. Gohan held it up to one of the candles, and it glimmered with an eerie light.

"What is it?" Goku's hand had found it's way to the back of his head, and he looked confused.

"That is a gemstone I found on a planet called Iota. It was one of the smallest planets of its galaxy. The people there had the power to control climate and weather, and I even suspect they had premonitions every now and then."

"Really? Cool!"

"I thought you'd like it. The Iotanians gave me this when I saved their planet from destruction. I commanded an army of Kold's men to fight creatures I don't even know the names of, and we won. It return, they gave me this stone. I've kept ever since, and that must be hundreds of years now."

"And you're giving it to me?"

She placed a hand on his head. "I'm sure the right person to look after it. You will, won't you? There aren't any others like it, and you'd have to travel for many decades to reach the planet it came from."

"I'll look after it forever! Thanks Noon!"

-----

Noon stood under the glow of the many stars that littered the sky that night, remembering the battle she had told Gohan about. Out of the many creatures Noon had fought against, these were the worst. What she had failed to mention to Gohan, was that they were the same creatures back on Planet Plant. The bright orange, overgrown-skinned monsters that threatened the Tsfurians.

"Hey Noon. What's up?"

"Hey Goku. Nothing's up. I'm just thinking."

"That was nice, what you gave to Gohan. He really appreciates stuff like that."

"I'm glad he likes it."

"Why did they give you that?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well…have you ever used it for anything?"

"No. As far as I know…it isn't used for anything. I don't think there was a specific reason as to why they gave me it. They just said thanks, and handed it to me in a big ceremony thing. They just gave me it because it was pretty, I think."

"Oh I see."

"Why did you ask?"

"No reason in particular, it's just that I saw it glow a few minutes ago."

"Glow? Really? I've never seen it glow."

"Yeah, it glowed like a dragon ball does."

Noon's brow furrowed. "Strange." She looked ahead of her, her face regaining a smile. "Maybe Gohan is it's rightful owner. They may have seen that I'd meet him during a premonition or something."

"Maybe. But that isn't all that's on your mind."

"No…it isn't."

"You should go."

Noon faced Goku. "You think so?" Goku placed a hand on Noon's shoulder.

"Yeah. But come back soon."

"Will do. I'll be back by morning. I promise."

-----

Cell looked up towards the glistening night's sky, his face neutral. If he didn't find out what was going on soon, he thought he'd go insane. He looked to his wrist, where the piece of red silk was tied neatly, and huffed out a sigh. The silence had drilled through him all day; accept when the reporters had shown up. He amused himself with them for a moment, but he had soon grown bored, and chased them away. He half wondered if Noon was at home, dressed in that very same silk gown, but he stopped his thoughts right there when he saw her land at the edge of the ring.

"Here you are again, Noon."

"Yes. Here I am again." She was expecting a snide comment, perhaps even a blow to the head. She had no idea what he was thinking. She heard him cross the ring towards her, and braced herself for anything he might throw at her. All she actually felt, though, was his hand reach out to her. She could sense it right in front of her.

"What on Earth took you so long?" With a small chuckle, Noon accepted his hand, and was pulled onto the ring. As soon as her second foot had touched the ground, Cell had tugged on her hand, forcing her into a twirl. His hand regained its full grip to pull her back to his chest. His arm, still holding onto her hand, moved round her front, embracing her to him. He could feel her heart beating furiously through his arm positioned just below her breasts. It seemed that she was panicking.

"Cell…" She was breathing heavily in his tight hold, and her breathing only quickened when Cell leaned to whisper into her ear.

"What's the matter Noon? Do you not like to dance?"

"I-It's not that—"

"Good." He spun her again, so she stood in front of him, allowing him to look at her outfit. She was wearing a dress-like top, with the top half white, and below the sash was turquoise blue. The sash was purple to match her boots, and her trousers were a very dark midnight blue. It had a high collar with two golden buttons, and the sleeves were of a thin see-through white material. The whole thing was embroidered with golden flowers, and it fluttered pleasantly in the light breeze. It was the outfit she wore for special occasions, and she looked beautiful. Cell nodded to himself, as not to share any of his current thoughts with Noon, and pulled her to him once again.

"If you like to dance…then why is it that you don't do it often?"

"You know why, Cell. I can't dance."

"Oh well…" Cell sounded slightly cocky, but in a way Noon had never heard. "…I guess you'll just have to learn."

"L-Learn?"

"Yes. But of course…" He slacked his grip on Noon's hand. "…If you don't want to…"

She gripped his hand, to make him take hold once again. "I think it's about time I learned."

Cell smirked. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear." He took hold of her waist quickly, and she immediately laid her hand onto his chest. She couldn't quite reach his shoulder without going onto her tiptoes. Slowly, and silently, Cell led Noon to sway across the arena floor. Although a little hitchy at first with nerves, Noon began to get the hang of it. Cell was holding closely and almost possessively. Noon got the impression that he wasn't planning to let go just yet.

"What exactly…are we dancing to?" Cell leaned forward, and nuzzled her cheek tenderly.

"Just use your imagination." He wanted nothing disturbed. This whole dancing thing was just to get her a little agitated, but now he had started, he was beginning to enjoy it. Soon he had her in spins, and she was following his lead perfectly.

"How do you know all this?"

"Believe it or not, but those Saiyans are excellent dancers."

"I suppose that makes you excellent too, then?"

"No." He pulled her close, leaning her far back, and whispered into her ear slowly. "That makes me _perfect_." He couldn't take it anymore. Her scent was divine, her luxurious hair tickling his chin. He slowly brushed his lips against her ear along the dragon, and heard a soft gasp from Noon. His heart drum rolling in his chest, he began to nibble lightly on her earlobe. His lip caught her earring, making it jangle in the musical way it did, bringing Noon back from the world she had just found herself in. She pushed against his chest, and stood straight, staring upwards to his eyes. Cell needed her to say something, and for once in his life, he wondered if he had done the right thing.

"Only you…would be so bold."

Cell's midsection did a funny flop, and he didn't like it.

"Forgive me. I am sorry."

"Don't be."

Cell's eyes widened in surprise as Noon reached up to him, stroking a thumb against his cheek, a pleasant smile upon her face. Cell leant down through instinct, and immediately he knew that this was different from any dream. This was _real_, and it felt a thousand times better to be close to her. Slowly he slid his mouth to hers, and their lips engaged in their very first kiss. Where in their dreams Cell had been rough, this kiss was firm, passionate, but gentle. Their noses rubbed as their hearts pounded and their stomachs fluttered, both silently wishing that it wouldn't end. Before now, Cell couldn't see the attraction to kissing another being, but now he was experiencing something he never though he would in his entire existence. As the kiss deepened, the passion between the two became more evident as they wrapped their arms around each other, their hold upon each other becoming tight and almost desperate.

They broke apart, breathing deeply. Cell ran his hand through Noon's hair as she stroked the back of his neck.

"So that…was a kiss."

"It sure was." She looked down to her feet.

"You have to go?"

"I'm afraid so."

Cell heaved a sigh. "Very well. Goodnight Noon." He kissed her hand with a bow of his head.

"Goodnight Cell." With that, she took off to make her way back to Goku's house under the stars. Cell watched her go, both of them unaware of the three pairs of eyes, and a brightly glowing stone in a young Saiyan's room.

* * *

A/N: I'm not actually sure what to say now. I hope it's ok. Please review.


	20. Sisterly Hatred

A/N: First of all...please allow me to apologise for the huge delay. I have no real excuse other than exam prep and general laziness. This chapter, for some reason, I found hard to write, so please excuse it if it ain't up to scratch or edited properly and such. Thanks for being patient with me, and may I ask you to review, even if you hate it? Thanks!

* * *

Chapter 19 – Sisterly Hatred

Goku wasn't usually one to wake up late. Ordinarily, he would rise with the sun, through the warm and comfortable sheets. He would leave Chi-chi sleeping soundlessly, and would make his way to the kitchen, his feet padding with each step upon the cold tiles. On this day, two days before the Cell Games, Goku woke up late for the first time in his life. With Gohan's birthday lasting much longer than expected, and the weighting worry of Noon on his mind, he hadn't had much sleep at all. Goku awoke, feeling extremely drowsy. He could see that the sun was high in the sky. So much so, he could tell it was already

"Noon!" Goku sat up abruptly, waking Chi-chi up with a start with his loud exclamation.

"Goku? What's wrong?"

Goku clambered out of his bed. "I don't know exactly, but something is."

"If you're worried about Noon, don't be. She came in late last night."

"I know. I heard her. That's when I fell asleep."

"So what's wrong, honey?" Goku's brow became furrowed.

"She isn't here. I can't feel her energy, or a trail of it. She's been gone a long…" Goku stopped, realising what that could mean. He ran through the house in his navy blue boxer shorts, reaching the small spare room Noon had spent the best part of three years in. He skidded to an unsettling halt a foot away from the door. Although, it wasn't really acting like a door. It was torn off its hinges.

Stepping over it, Goku entered through the ruined doorframe, and into the room. The small window allowed a beam of light to pass through it, showing up the recently disturbed dust floating in the eerie silence. Noon's sword, which was usually kept just by her bed, was unsheathed, and sticking blatantly out of one floorboard. Every object in the room had been moved, smashed, or broken. It was obvious that Noon had left the house with a struggle. Goku looked upon the scene with serious eyes.

"Cell…if you've done this…"

Goku didn't have time to dwell on that thought. He heard three small taps, and realised someone was at the door. Chi-chi reached the door before Goku could even think of doing it, and recognised the voice he heard immediately.

"Excuse me, Madam. I wish to speak to your husband…"

Goku appeared in front of a wide-eyed, speechless Chi-chi within an instant, and stared coldly into Cell's shining magenta eyes.

"What have you done?"

Cell's small smirk vanished into a quick frown. "I have done nothing." He folded his arms over his broad chest. "I wish to see Noon."

"She can't right now."

"She can talk with me if she wishes to."

"No she can't. She isn't here."

Cell unfolded his arms, suddenly feeling uneasy. "I watched her return here. You are lying to me, Goku."

"She did come back…but you took her away again."

"Goku, use your head! Why would I be here if she came back to me?"

"Well…she didn't exactly _go _anywhere. She was taken." Goku had lost his harsh tone towards Cell. It seemed to make sense that he didn't take her away. "Did you see her at all last night after she left?"

Cell edged his way into the house, and walked down one hallway towards the kitchen. "No I did not. I was training in outer space to control my thoughts. I saw nothing that happened on Earth, but I know she didn't go back to my arena, because she'd have told me she was planning to do so." He was looking around manically, and Goku had never heard him speak so quickly. He could tell that Cell was getting frustrated. He stopped, however, and simply stared at Goku. "What do you mean…taken? She was taken away by force?" For the first time, Goku could see panic in Cell's eyes. If anything, Goku thought Cell was acting…well…very un-Cell-like. Without replying to Cell's constant question, Goku took off at a fast-paced walk down the hallway towards the spare room, Cell following close behind.

Goku reached the devastated area first, but Cell stopped right at the end of the hallway. He held a slight frown, but other than that his face remained neutral. The two of them were silent, and the slight breeze caused by the opened door made the hinges squeak in time with Cell's feet. Each step seemed to echo, and Cell couldn't help but notice the huge claw marks along the doorframe. He passed Goku, and swept his eyes along the floor of Noon's room.

"Did you not hear this obvious commotion?" Cell looked down at Goku, his voice barely a whisper. Goku simply shook his head.

"No. We heard her come in…and then we all fell asleep."

"At the same time?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Whoever has done this…will pay." Cell's hands were balled into fists. "We have to find her…" He half-turned, but snapped his body right back where it was when he spotted something on the floor. It was quite unnoticeable in the dark, but now the sunlight was reflecting off the sword, and across the dark areas of the room. He picked it up, and held it one hand so Goku could see. Taking it from him, he tilted his head in confusion.

"What is this?"

"It is skin from a revolting creature both Noon, and Kold know well."

Before Goku could ask exactly what creature Cell was talking about, Chi-chi's yell could be heard. Cell thought that if he were stood on Mars, he'd be able to hear that women yell. Goku set off first, knowing full well where Chi-chi had gone, and headed straight for Gohan's room. Cell followed, knowing that whatever the woman was shouting about, was something related to Noon's kidnapping. When Goku reached Gohan's door, his eyes were met with a bright blue light. He went to stand next to Chi-chi, who was staring at their son.

Gohan was sat upright on his bed, the large blue gem in his hand. The stone was emitting flashes of light, and Gohan's eyes were of the same colour blue. He was staring right into the stone. Goku crossed the room without hesitation, and took the stone from Gohan. Goku's hand burnt as the stone's light became intense, and it dropped to the floor with a loud clunk. Cell, who was watching the scene, simply picked the stone up off the floor. There, he saw what Gohan had been witnessing. He saw an image of two creatures, and Noon's sister. He saw them torturing her no end, and he knew now why the Iotanians gave this stone to Noon. They had seen this happen already…

…They were warning her.

The glowing stopped, and Cell stood motionless as Gohan regained his footing. Gohan had seen exactly what Cell had, and he looked horrified. Looking from the stone, to the piece of skin still clutched in Goku's hand, Cell quickly exited the house. It wasn't long before Goku caught him up.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No. I'm trying to sense Dusk's energy."

"Dusk? Is she the one causing the problems?" Goku put his fingers to his forehead, trying to sense out either Noon or Dusk. He found neither.

"The obvious place would be her home." Cell muttered, mainly to himself. Goku opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by a very familiar sound. The two stood outside Goku's home, and watched as three planes passed. They were not planes that belonged to the army; these were private, obtained by men.

"It looks as though they're heading towards your arena."

"No. It doesn't look like it." The planes disappeared over the horizon within minutes. "I'm…going back…I'm going to look for her from my arena."

"Well…don't expect to be going alone."

"Do you have to come?" Cell sounded as though he was talking to an irritating little brother.

"I'm going, Cell. Whether you like it or not." Goku didn't know what it was…but Cell didn't quite seem himself.

-----

"He's training…the fool." Dusk looked over at the two creatures. "Take her to the cavern. Be quick about it, too." With one last look up towards the star-littered sky, she began to walk quickly past Cell's arena. One bright orange creature followed close behind, its eyes concealed with many thick layers of skin. In one hand it carried a long curved sword, which glimmered dangerously in the starlight. It lumbered on its long, gangling legs, and grunted every so often, swinging the blood-sodden sword at its own leisure. The other creature was lagging behind slightly, with a frantically struggling Noon. She was fighting with the chains that bound her wrists, her breathing heavy. She was wriggling wildly, and Dusk was starting to notice. She turned, and made her way to Noon, where she punched the wound in her shoulder hard. The sword-stricken shoulder spurted out even more deep purple blood, which gushed out over her silk top. Noon let out a cry, muffled by the material between her teeth, and lost any strength she had left.

They reached the cavern within little time, and the creature holding Noon threw her to the ground by the tree. She skidded, and instantly got to her knees. Before Noon could get very far, Dusk took hold of the chain, which extended within her hand, and threw it over one thick branch of the tree. Noon was pulled against it with a thud, and she let out a small whimper as her shoulder was struck again. She was helpless now, practically tied to the tree. Her arms were suspended above her head, small trickles of blood making their way down the valley of her breasts. Dusk looked down at her with the utmost hatred. One of the creatures; the one with the sword, approached Noon, sliding his weapon slowly into the already deep slice in her shoulder. Spurred on by her cries of agony, the orange oddity began to slowly cut up the muscle it could feel against the sword.

Noon struggled against her restraint, the pain absolutely unbearable, but to no avail. The chain made its way down to her legs. Splitting in half, each side buried deep into the ground, keeping her legs still. In her mind…she could think only of Cell to keep her from crying. She had never been so terrified in her life…there was only one thing that could be worse…

-----

Dusk had been having fun for the main part of 8 hours, and Noon was beaten to the brink of death. She hung limply from the chains, and her eyes were squinted closed.

"That should have sped things up. You think that's bad…wait until your time runs out. It's noon already…" Dusk's voice trailed off when she heard a familiar sound in the distance. It was heading their way, and she smiled broadly when she heard that the planes had landed. "It seems that we have company."

The other creature, which seemed to be doing nothing, motioned to move outside.

"No." It stopped. "Leave them. Leave her." She looked to Noon. "Let them do as they wish. These dirty men can help us." She turned to both creatures, of which were stood still and waiting for her to give them some sort of order. "We are leaving. We don't want to witness what these men might, and probably will do."

Within the space of a minute, the man had invaded the home, they had spotted the helpless Noon, and Noon had become extremely panicked. Whereas she couldn't move before, she was struggling at her utmost to keep her restrained body away from grubby fingers. Unfortunately for her…there were far too many…

-----

"You…"

The sun glinted off Cell's shiny black back, and his pearly white teeth were bared at the only woman he seemed to show any hatred or disrespect towards.

"Yes?"

"Where is she?"

"Where do you think she is? She's exactly where I left her."

"You left her with human, disgusting men."

"Yes of course."

"I ought to kill you right now."

"Hmm…maybe so…but that would be wasting time."

With a glare from Cell, and an odd look at both creatures from Goku, the two shot from above the arena floor, and towards Noon's home.

-----

Noon at first didn't move. Blind, helpless, agonisingly tortured and above all terrified, she tried to calm her frantic breathing. Slowly she lowered her head to the ground. She could feel Cell's eyes upon her, and couldn't bear the shame of a weakling. Her eyes began to sting with the salty tears, and although the men hadn't touched her where she feared they would the most, she could almost feel their hands still on her. She could feel them pulling at her wrists, tearing her clothes to reveal her smooth stomach. The burn marks along her legs reminded her that her silk trousers were torn from the knee down. It only took Cell seconds for him to see Noon and kill the men, but for Noon those moments had passed like hours. Now he was knelt on one knee in front of her, and she could sense that he was inclining his head to try and meet her gaze.

Looking up from Noon and towards the top of the now splintered tree, Cell tugged heavily at the chains, surprised by their weight, and wriggled Noon's feet out from her leg restraints. Her entire body fell forwards with the weight of her bound hands, and Cell quickly caught her, pulling her against his torso to keep her stable.

He was silent, anger boiling within his every living cell, and confusion as to why he was angry with such acts clouding his mind. He knew that he had to get back to his arena, and prepare for the fight he so desperately desired, but the events leading up to this had prevented any preparation on so _many _levels. Cell knew he had to leave Noon soon if he was to comply with his creator's wishes. But for now…he wanted to be with her.

He noticed that Noon was once again avoiding his gaze. Her wrists were pressed against him, her fingers gripping at the top of his chest where his collar and neck held smooth pale skin. She let out a soft sigh, and Cell caught the unsteady wavering. Cell remained quiet, but he didn't want Noon to break down and lose complete control. Noon raised her head slightly, but diverted her eyes from his as best she could. Instinctively Cell allowed his head to lower a little, and dropped himself to both knees as he listened to the delicate creature in his arms speak.

"I'm sorry."

Her apology to him was quiet, almost silent, but he caught every hint and tone of sorrow. He knew how truly thankful she was for his actions, but he knew she was feeling ashamed. Out of anything she could have said to him, these words caught him off guard in a way he couldn't have imagined. Cell felt no guilt or remorse, and no sorrow, but the tightening in his chest was willing him to desire, no to _need _to make Noon comfortable and safe. A creature so – unusual – so to speak, perhaps exotic and unique, he could not let become extinct. He wanted her to stay alive, to be well.

In a way he hated her for it, and resented the fact that it was never meant to end up this way, or to go this far. He enjoyed her company, which confused him greatly and made him angry with himself and at her. However, the more he thought about it, no matter how angry he became, his anger seemed outweighed by the pleasure he kept from hearing her voice and her laughter, the enjoyment he received from alighting her temper and her fiery passion. The sight of her comforted him in every aspect, and her touch was simply exhilarating.

Noticing that he had been staring straight ahead into space, Cell averted his eyes back onto Noon, only to see a single silent tear run down her cheek. He knew her apology was not necessary. Bringing his hand round to her chin he took it gently, levelling her face with his. This way, his gaze couldn't be avoided. The moment her shining eyes met his cold magenta hues, Cell had the urge to lurch forward. But he knew better. He would not take advantage of a bound, broken woman, destined to die and now so much closer to the Otherworld.

"Don't be." His voice was lower than usual, and he became suddenly aware that his throat felt dry. "Stop crying and look at me." It appeared that Noon couldn't face him, because her head didn't move. "_Look _at me." He knew she wouldn't see him, but he wanted her to face him. He was pleading to her, and it felt strange to him to do so. "You have nothing to apologise for. It's your sister who should be ashamed of herself and her disgusting behaviour." Noon's eyes shot back up to his, and Cell took a hold upon Noon's waist for some sort of support, ready for anything. She let out a strange sigh, tilting her head. Cell remained silent as she did, Noon falling silent for a second or two.

Suddenly, as though the soft breeze fluttering by was a sign or a cue, Noon leaned forward to him, Cell closing the gap. Their embrace was tender, and Noon's appreciation was expressed in a way that Cell certainly wasn't prepared for. Breaking apart, Cell found his hand on Noon's, and began pulling at the chains. Very little time had passed before Cell became irritated, his brow furrowed in such irritation. Noon allowed him a few moments, before interrupting his attempts.

"You can't break them." Cell wasn't usually one to accept defeat, but then again Noon had brought various odd actions from out of him.

"Why not?" Noon caught the annoyance in his voice immediately.

"Dusk brought them…from her workplace," Cell chose to remain silent, so Noon continued, "she lives in the Otherworld…down in Hell, or Home For Infinite Losers. In a way, she's a kind of caretaker down there, and not many see her. The creatures with her are from down there too."

"How do you know all of this?"

"These are memories buried deep down in there," she tapped her head, then took a deep breath, making Cell slightly cautious, "reawaken by a dream I had only last night."

"You and your damn dreams."

She chuckled, and then took another deep breath. "The chains that bind me also belong down there. They bind the creatures trapped in Hell, and are unbreakable." Another very deep breath. "I believe however that they can be removed by logic and patience…" She took one last deep breath, before her eyes started to become heavy. Cell quickly stood with her, the chains noticeable even to Cell's arms, and it wasn't two seconds before Noon's head was slumped against Cell's chest.

"Is she OK?" Goku, who had been watching with an open mouth from the waterfall entrance, appeared by Cell's side with a deeply serious look in his teal green eyes.

"She's sleeping," he answered simply, and then added, "Do you know anyone who can remove this?" He indicated to the chains, and immediately Goku's eyes became soft and puppy-dog-wide eyed, leading Cell to believe he had a spit persona.

"Gee um…" He scratched his head. "…I can think of one person who's pretty smart who might be able to do it…"

-----

I awake slowly and drowsily, the touch of silk surrounding my body blissfully as I recall the past couple of hours. I remember Cell, and his arms holding my limp and painful body…come to think of it…I feel no pain whatsoever. I open my eyes as normal, but receive a shock when I see two bedposts. My eyes are already adjusted to the light, and when I do not recognise the room, but the light purple sky outside, I realise I'm dreaming once again.

I clamber out of what I assume is my own bed, and look around the huge and elaborately decorated room. The place is silk orientated, with blues, greens, maroon and purple. The huge window to my left is allowing much sunlight to pour through, and I see many stars and planets surrounding this one. This is the second time I've dreamt about this one planet, and as I look at my own hands I know I'm myself this time.

I turn and make my way to the centrepiece of the room – the fireplace – and pause to look upon some framed photographs. Recognising myself on one hurry to it. I stand in the middle-ish, and a tall, handsome man with short white hair stands behind me. His hand is placed on my shoulder and we appear to be good friends. On either side of me are two very small children. Two years old at the most. The girl I recognise instantly as my sister Dusk. Looking upon the photo I assume it is a family one…and so the tall man must be my eldest brother. The other small child is a little boy of whom I know must be Dusk's twin brother. His white hair and lavender skin are identical to hers. I smile at him. He's so sweet and innocent, and his hair, although a Mohawk reminds me of my own messy hair. His coal black eyes are deep and penetrating, much like his older brother, and I sense goodness in him. His name I desire to know.

Deciding to use this dream to it's fullest; I make my way quickly to the door. However, my hand passes straight through the handle. As I stare at my hand, I hear a rustling sort of noise coming from the bed. My shoulders slump at how stupid I had been. I watch as the real – I assume – me climbs out of bed, and walks right through me to open the door. She appears to be in a hurry, and being the curious creature that I am, decide to follow.

I can barely describe the bizarre building I'm in. So many rooms and twisting corridors. I keep close to myself I make my way down the stairs, and out. The grass is barely wet with dew any longer, and I'm guessing it's around lunchtime. I watch as sigh, and I stretch, looking upon the horizon of fields.

"Noony! Noony!" We both turn to answer our name, and I see the same little boy as on the picture running (or waddling, to say the least) towards the Noon he could see. He stops just in front of her, apparently out of breath. "Noony! Dusk took my bunny!"

"Your bunny?"

"Y'know y'know." His arms were beginning to wave around now, as though this would help get the point across. " The big white fluffy one the one that's magic and has an ear missing!" I can see my head nodding, trying to catch and understand the words coming at about a hundred miles per hour.

"Well don't worry, we'll get it back. Come on." I take the young boy's hand, having to bend down as I do so, and the little boy in his dark blue dungarees leads the way. Pretty soon, they find Dusk, and I can see that I'm not very happy.

"Dusk? Did you take the bunny?" Dusk, still in her pink PJs, shakes her head furiously.

"No. I didn't take the bunny because the bunny isn't pink and I like pink bunnies the most so I couldn't have taken the white bunny and besides it has an ear missing so why would I want that one?" Again I seem to struggle with the young one's sentence. Dusk didn't seem to pause at all.

"You _did _take it I saw you take it you always want my bunny why can't you just have your froggy? Froggy is yours not bunny!"

"But I don't want froggy because froggy isn't furry and I like furry bunny!"

"Alright! Alright! That is quite enough." My voice becomes stern, and the two children stop bickering. "Right then Dusk honey, you give the white bunny back to your brother…and I'll make you a brand new bunny, ok?" I smile at Dusk, but I seem to know what's coming.

"No! Don't want new bunny, I want white magic bunny!"

"But the white bunny isn't just yours to play on your own. Can't you share your toys with each other?"

"Yeah we can share!" The young boy, of whose name I still do not know, looks up at my other self, a glimmer in his eye at the thought of sharing.

"No! I don't wanna share! I don't have to share if I don't wanna!" Dusk was beginning to scream, and I didn't seem happy.

"What is all this racket about?" This time, we all turn, and I see my older brother.

"Sett!" Dusk is the first to reach him, and his strong-feathered arms pick her up and twirl her, bunny now discarded on the ground. I watch as the very little boy slowly and cautiously picks it up and cuddles it, unnoticed by them all but me and my other self. I see myself smile as I pat him on the head.

"What's wrong, my little Dusky? What is all this fuss about hmmm? Your big sis being mean again?"

"Sett…you know I'm not mean."

"I know sis I'm only foolin'" I see as my big brother rubs my head reassuringly, before turning to my littlest brother. "And how's the big man?" Bunny still in hand, 'big man' goes to hug the only part he can…round his knees."

"What took you so long, Sett?"

"Well Dusky, Sett had a lot to do today."

"Unlike lazy Noon."

"Now now. Your sister isn't lazy. A little deranged maybe but not lazy." Ignoring my other self's irritated expression, and the little boy, both Sett and Dusk decide to go inside, Dusk sounding happier than ever before.

"Does Sett love Dusky more than he loves me, Noony?" The little boy looks up at his big sister sadly, and it tears me apart.

"No of course not, honey." I bend down and stroke his hair. "Both your brother and your sister love you very much…and so do I."

"Oh…" He doesn't look too convinced.

"Tell ya what? Let's take bunny over to the lake," I turn, and I can see my eyes are watery, "and we'll play for a while until dinner. How does that sound?"

The boy cheers up immediately. "Does that mean you love bunny, too?"

"Yeah…yeah I love bunny too, sweetheart…"


	21. Denial?

A/N: Again, another massive delay in the updates, so sorry about that. Unfortunately all I can offer is a shorter-than-usual, and bizarre (but relevant) chapter. I will try to be better with the updates, if you people are still interested in this.

* * *

Chapter 20 –Denial? 

Noon awoke slowly and drowsily, the feel of itchy cotton between her toes. Although slightly subdued, her body was still wracked with the pain flowing through her small frame as regularly as her heartbeat was pumping blood. She moved slightly, but winced when her shoulder suddenly cried out. Noon felt as though she could be boiling, her forehead sweaty and her hands clammy. Her skin felt drained of moisture, as dry as her throat with the uncomfortable stickiness of her back to the bed. She lay there for an entire two minutes, before she realised that she had no clue as to where she was at all. Sitting up quickly despite the pain, Noon felt a hand on the top of her chest, and heard the voice of Bulma. Noon knew it was her, but she couldn't quite make out what she was saying. So instead of trying to listen, she slumped back down into the pillows, the feathers taking shape to her now heavy head of wild hair. Now she thought about it…she was comfy when she kept still.

"That's it…just relax."

"Kay." Noon replied drearily.

"She ok?" Goku's voice drifted from across the room.

"She needs to rest."

"How'd you get them off?" Goku signalled towards Noon's unbound hands with a nod of his head.

"It was quite simple, really." She said quietly. "She looks peaceful…let's leave her for a little while."

Leaving the room with tiptoeing feet, the two made their way downstairs to be met with a pair of narrowed eyes, exactly where they had left them. When both Bulma and Goku had gotten within ten feet of the owner, they stopped and stared right back. A moment of silence passed between the three of them.

"Well?" Cell finally asked, an irritated tone cutting though the room.

"Well…what?" Bulma asked in a timid, squeaky voice, stood strategically behind the comfort of Goku.

"You know what, woman. Have you done it? Have you gotten rid of them?"

"Yes."

With a "humph", Cell turned his attention to the stairwell.

"Where are you going?"

"Where does it look like I'm going, Saiyan?"

Goku shook his head. "Leave her for now. She's peaceful at the moment."

With a narrowing of his eyes Cell replied, "Whatever," resuming his usual stance in the position he had been stood for many hours now.

-----

Noon wasn't sure where she was, or how she'd gotten there…or even when she had. Her bare feet felt rock and the breeze told the tale of a huge height. As Noon became more aware of the surroundings that she was stood in, her ears picked up the sound of a waterfall very close. Within a minute she knew she was stood at the top of one. She listened intently to the sound of the water crashing to the rocks, she listened to how familiar this place seemed. The cool air, the fresh smell, the jagged rocks below, Noon had visited this waterfall many times. She knew also, from that point that she had to be dreaming. She didn't mind. No pain in the shoulder could reach her here.

Noon knew when she was being watched. It was one of those itching, disturbing feelings you tended to find crawling up your spine when eyes were on you. When she felt Cell's energy upon further inspection, however, her nervousness was replaced by an equally itching curiosity.

"Cell?"

"Yes?"

No doubt about it. Cell's voice was one that Noon couldn't mistake. She allowed the corner of her mouth to curve.

"What are you smiling about?" Noon cast a glance at Cell at the harsh edge to his voice.

"I'm not allowed to smile?"

Cell remained silent.

"Why are you here?"

"You're dreaming, and so am I."

"Where are you?"

"Downstairs. Stood with Goku and the human woman Bulma."

"Cell, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? I hate what you've done to me, that's what. I'm stood downstairs as though I actually care about something on this pathetic planet."

"And do you?" She could feel his eyes on her again.

"I care for nothing here. I have reached the goal I was created to achieve."

"So why are you stood downstairs?"

"I won't be once I wake up."

"So why _were _you stood downstairs?"

"What does it matter?" He turned to her, his teeth gritted behind a frown. "Nothing will be here soon. My tournament starts one day after tonight."

"Alright." Noon sighed softly, and turned towards the edge of the waterfall.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to fall down here."

"What on Earth for? Do you think I'll stop you?" He chuckled. "You are mistaken."

"You want to leave, don't you? If I can wake myself up, you will do. People often wake up, feeling as though they're falling. Perhaps if I feel it, it'll wake me up from this nightmare." With that, she relaxed her body, and fell with the water.

The feeling of it was fairly refreshing, but Noon was wondering if this was such a good idea. She wasn't even sure if it'd work. However, as the sheer drop began to make her stomach feel as though it was trying to get out of her throat, she was pretty much convinced that she was going to wake at any moment.

That moment never came, though. The water was still rushing, the wind still catching Noon's hair.

"Nightmare?"

"Yes Cell…_nightmare_. I thought you weren't going to stop me."

Cell remained silent for a second or two, the sound of water almost deafening as he hovered with Noon in arms.

"I changed my mind."

"You seem to do that an awful lot. I don't understand you, Cell. You attack me, and then you protect me. You push me away; yet embrace me as though I'm yours. I just can't figure it out."

"I'm not here to be "figured out" as you say."

"But—"

"—My dear Noon. I know what I'm here for on Earth. But there is something else there."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't rightly know. As I have already said, I hate what you have done to me. In the way that you have made my simple mission in life so much more complicated than it needs to be."

"I told you, you should have left me to die at the start."

He chuckled. "Maybe. But killing you isn't what I want to do anymore. Nor do I wish to engage you in battle."

"Then why the hell am I here?" She said with a small laugh.

Cell, with a slight smile, leaned right down; only to find that the lips he was aiming for were now frowning.

"I see. Is that it?" Knowing why she was displeased, he let go, and with a small yelp went sailing down. Grabbing her in mid fall, Cell took her through the water and into the direct flow from the waterfall.

"I said something to you once. You told me that you thought I didn't care for fun, and I told you "there are many things I never thought I'd care for, I guess you really have shown me your world." Do you remember?"

She nodded. "You just said you cared for nothing."

"I know I did. But I wasn't made for caring."

"You weren't made for kissing a woman, either."

"I know." He leant down to Noon in his arms, doing exactly what he wasn't created for, the water cascading down both his and her winged backs. The longest of moments passed between them, before Noon spoke.

"Do you love me?"

The question hit Cell so hard that he almost dropped her.

"Love. Love is a ridiculous emotion, expressed between foolish weaklings. I do not love, and I cannot be loved."

"I thought you might say something like that." She sighed. "I…I don't understand. This is so confusing. This conversation makes no sense!"

"It's only a dream, Noon. Don't forget that."

Noon didn't reply. In fact, she had gone completely silent. Cell looked up at the once clear sky to see black clouds billowing over. Something seemed to be happening.

-----

"What is that noise?"

Bulma looked over at Cell, who had just seemed to have woken up. She and Goku were sat opposite to where he stood.

"What noise?"

Cell let out an impatient sigh through his nose.

"_That_ noise."

"Oh that." Bulma replied, realising what he was talking about. "That'll be one of the robots. By the sounds of it, it's Sammy."

"And what is "Sammy" doing up there?"

"He checks for anything that's out of place."

"So I can't go up there, yet you let a noisy little robot into the room."

"He's not noisy!" She said, defensively. "It's only you that could hear him! Besides, he won't wake her up."

Cell gave Bulma a blank stare. "I assure you, she is already awake."

-----

The robot, known as "Sammy" slowly padded into the dark room using his little robotic feet, and began his routinely search for anything out of the ordinary, such as a piece of paper not in its correct place or perhaps somewhere needs a general tidy up. Noon noticed this odd creature from the moment it opened the door, emitting quiet, peeps, beeps…and even little squeaks.

"Nothing out of the what?"

The robot stopped in its tracks, and squeaked again.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, huh? Did you count me?" She laughed to herself, and the small robot began to beep again.

"What? Yes, I can understand you. I had a friend who couldn't speak the same language as me, and he squeaked much in the way that you do." She picked the small robot up, the smooth metal feeling cold against her hot hands.

"I miss my friends. Pukka was his name. And there was a dragon named Kibito, too. I have no idea where he is…I just hope he's safe." She smiled to herself, but stopped when Sammy began to talk again.

"What is it?" She asked him, when he seemed to think something was "out of the ordinary".

"No…There isn't anyone here."

"In the corner? There's someone stood in the corner? Is that it? But I don't feel any energy."

"It's looking at me? How can you tell? Who is it?"

-----

"What was _that _noise?" Cell knew he didn't need to ask again. By the look on both Bulma, and Goku's face, neither knew what the heck had made such an odd noise. "Wait here."

Goku watched Cell's every move as he made his way up the stairs silently, the creaking of his feet silenced by his tiptoeing. The room Noon was in was third on the left, not far by any means, but it seemed to take forever to get there. The same odd feeling as in the dream crept into his mind as he approached the door, the room obviously quite dark. As he opened the door, he noticed that something was against it as he pushed it as wide as it would go, unusually not spreading any light into it. The first thing his eyes directed to was Noon, looking very uncomfortable, and twisting her body slightly in what looked like her sleep. But on closer inspection, he saw that her eyes were squinted shut. Cell moved forwards towards her only a little, but spotted something that actually made his heart jump.

There was someone stood in the corner of the room.

The room was a large, but empty one, each corner of it occupied by a wardrobe or a shelving unit. However, the corner farthest away from him directly opposite across the room was occupied with what Cell first thought was a person. As Cell continued to take in what this "person" looked like, he began to doubt that this…thing was human…or even alive.

It's rotten skin illuminated by the window, Cell could see that this creature had no eyes, but two very large, deep black pits. The sight of it unnerved Cell in a way he never thought he could feel. He couldn't see a body, because this thing appeared to be wearing black…if it actually wore clothes.

However, body or no body, eyes or no eyes, its sight was directed onto Noon. No doubt about it. It wasn't moving an inch, but its head was definitely turned towards Noon.

A noise, like a spark of electricity took Cell's attention to the door, where Sammy the robot lay in pieces, the weight behind the door when Cel first walked in. Now he knew what the noise had been. He turned his head back round, and saw that the creature was closer this time…much closer. It was stood by the bedpost now, bugs and worms crawling in and out of its eye sockets, festering in its head, and its husky breathing audible. Its gaze still fixed upon the twitching Noon.

Two blinks later and it was next to Noon. Staring, breathing heavily with a slightly open mouth, arm outstretched towards her. Cell moved quickly to get next to Noon on the opposite side of the bed, grabbed Noon's arm out of its reach, holding her head against his chest. The creature stopped in its advance, and turned its horrifying gaze towards Cell. It looked upon his narrow eyes, and suddenly grabbed its own face with its claws, the rotten skin ripping and the bugs running wild around torn eye sockets. Then, with its saliva-sodden mouth wide, it screamed.

The sheer pitch of it made Cell wince. It was like a high woman's scream. Cold and terrible like a thousand murders in one. Then as suddenly as it had happened, it stopped. Goku, closely followed by a terrified Bulma, ran into the room with wide eyes.

"What…what just happened?"

"Something was here." Cell responded calmly, as not to let Goku know how seriously the creature had creeped him out. "You need to stay with her at all times, do you hear? From now until our fight. Understand?"

Catching the somewhat hushed urgency in Cell's voice, Goku nodded, staring at the now relaxed but cold-sweated body of Noon as Cell left. He made his way down the stairs at an ordinary pace, determined to take his mind of what he just saw, and back to his tournament..

"Where are you going?"

Cell looked up at Bulma, stood at the top of the stairs. "What's it to you, woman? I'm leaving."

"You're leaving?"

"That is what I said." He couldn't cover up his impatience.

"What about Noon?"

"What about her?"

"Well…don't you c—"

"No…I do not care."

Cell opened the front door, looking at the open-mouthed Bulma. For a split second, his mind wondered to Vegeta and his relation to this human woman. Vegeta, a cold-blooded killer…he had taken some sort of interest towards something other than fighting - a woman. An ignorant Saiyan…what makes a creature such as Vegeta do a thing like that? The door was closed abruptly, and Bulma was left to stare.


	22. Death

A/N: First of all allow me to apologise for the two month delay in updates. I have no excuse this time, I'm just a little lazy! Secondly, thanks to you all for your reviews! I hope everything stays up to scratch!

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Chapter 21 – Death

Dreams. Noon, until recently, had never had them as far as she knew. She couldn't really understand the concept of them. Now though, she had experienced many-all of which she knew made sense in some way or another, and some of them shared with Earth's newest enemy. Almost every time she had gone to sleep in the past couple of days she had dreamt-and this time was no exception.

Leaving the cold and empty space within Capsule Corporation caused by a hellish demon, Noon found herself warm and cosy, more so than ever before. She opened her eyes to find a room much different to the last time, but soon discovered the source of the warmth. She stared at a pair of round brown glass eyes belonging to a white rabbit. Climbing out of bed slowly, she realised there was a child there, snuggling up to it.

Before Noon could quite get her bearing, the child had begun to wake, and a loud knock came at the door. Not two seconds later, Sett came into the small room.

"Not up yet?" He said quite loudly.

Noon turned to see the small girl climb out of bed. It didn't take two glances to realise it was her. Stuck up red hair and tiny little wings poking out of yellow pyjamas, this little Noon didn't look older than four.

"I'm up." She replied, standing on her tiptoes.

"I see that _now_. You need to put your clothes on and play out by the lake or something. We're having visitors today."

Noon shook her head quickly. "No, no. Mirra told me that I was going to be with her today."

"No. Now don't you be hanging around Mirra again. She doesn't want a little kid like you around. She's a busy woman, and has others to worry about."

"But she said-"

"No Noon! No."

The small girl looked heartbroken and disappointed, but no longer argued with her big brother.

"What's all this about?" An average-heighted woman with short silver hair appeared through the door, addressing Noon immediately. "Hey there Noony!" Noon brightened up instantly, and went over to the woman.

"Mirra!"

"C'mon, kid. We'd better clothe y' and get ya downstairs."

"Do you know she was up all night again?" Sett shot at Mirra. "Wandering around the _West_ side of the house? Hmm I wonder who she was looking for."

"Well maybe she doesn't like sleeping down on the ground floor with you."

"Not her choice."

"Well she's welcome with me anytime."

"Yes you seem to have made that clear, but have you forgotten who's coming today?" He lowered his voice to a whisper, as not to let Noon hear. "The new little guys."

"Little people?" Noon chimed up. "Will I be able to play with them?"

"No, you won't. You aren't like them."

"Don't be so sure." Mirra smirked. "Noon has been invited to join us for breakfast this morning."

"What? By whom?"

"Well it seems the Big Guy's taken a likin' to her."

"The Boss? But she's just a tiny child. If I'd had the choice she wouldn't have even come here."

"I'm aware of that. But she intrigued me the night she first appeared at my door. Why do you think I wanted to take her out today? She would benefit from a little training."

"Training? Are you out of your mind?"

Noon watched as her younger self appeared from the bathroom fully clothed.

"See? You haven't even noticed she can take care of herself."

"But Mirra…" He sounded irritated.

"Think what you will about your sister. _We're_ going down to breakfast." And that they did.

-----

"Dusk!" Cell called out, after a while. The questions in his head had built up to an annoying bursting point. "I know you can hear me somehow! Show yourself!" He turned several circles in the same spot, looking both along the floor of his arena and to the sky. Why, when he would have sensed her anyway, he didn't know. He was feeling fairly fidgety-something Cell never usually was.

"What is it?" Dusk stood with her arms folded, unusually mellow and neutral-faced.

"What do you think?"

"Are you talking about the men that were after Noon? I expected you to come along."

"Oh did you?"

"Yeah I did." Dusk didn't seem herself. There wasn't a hint of cockiness in her voice and she didn't seem at all amused.

"Well what about that thing you sent out?"

"What thing?"

Cell gritted his teeth. "You know damn well what I mean. Noon told me all about where you inhabit."

"She did?" She seemed generally surprised. "No matter. But I still don't know what "thing" you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me!" He moved forward in one motion, grabbing Dusk by the throat. He was quick, and she had no time to inhale before he restricted the air to her lungs. "I ought to just kill you! The damned demon you sent to "collect" Noon! I saw it; it was one of your little workers."

"I…assure you…I don't know what…you mean."

"Stop lying! You sent that disgusting thing after her!"

Dusk's eyes went wide. "You really do…love her."

"No!" He threw the barely-conscious woman across his arena and into a pillar, causing it to crack, but not cause too much damage. She caught her breath and her bearings, staring at Cell curiously and with fear.

"How did she know where I live?"

"She dreamt it, I believe. Now you tell me…how is it you've been bringing these creatures up here?" Dusk paused for a minute, noticing how angry Cell had become. She decided to answer him.

"They aren't alive…and I haven't been "bringing them up here". They are merely shadows created by Noon's memory. I just manipulate them."

"So the demon that appeared at her bedside...was a shadow."

"No."

"No?"

"I sent no "demon" as you say." She laughed. "Perhaps the mighty Cell is imagining things."

He placed a hand on his hip, but his mouth took a downward curve. "I am _not _imaging things. Not only had_ I_ heard it for a start. Both Goku and the woman heard it scream."

"It…scream?" Dusk's eyes took the wide appearance again. "He doesn't think I'm doing my job…"

"Ah, so the tough little lady works for another? What, did you sell your soul to the Devil?" He chuckled as she just stared.

"No…" She said quietly, looking away to the distance. "…to the Dragon."

"You work for some beast just to have one creature suffer and die? Pathetic." He chuckled before adding with blatant sarcasm. "I mean, your own _sister._ How could you have the heart?" He smirked at her with a nasty glimmer within magenta.

"An eye for an eye." She answered simply, before disappearing. Cell's smirk disappeared along with her, annoyed that his questions weren't properly answered.

"It is of no matter." He said to himself. "Goku and the others will be arriving shortly. I can hardly wait."

-----

The image of Mirra, Noon and Sett swirled into darkness, only to be replaced by another one, this time much darker. It was stormy, and Noon could see lightning lining the deep purple sky. She looked around for a minute or two, searching for what could be an explanation for the surroundings. She got it.

Running over to stand by her kneeling form, she saw why her dream self was looking troubled. The two Noons now stood together, one looking much better off than the other. This Noon, much older than the four-year-old, was in tatters and looked exhausted, as though she'd just been involved in a huge battle. The body of her big brother lay at her bootless feet.

Noon knew she was dreaming, but se also knew this had to have happened. The sight was almost unbearable. Noon continued to look around, still looking for an explanation. She couldn't have done what she thought she had. She hadn't…_killed _her brother…her own brother…had she?

A sickening feeling came over Noon, one she couldn't quite comprehend or understand. She looked at herself, and this Noon seemed calm but tense at the same time…it was strange. The next thing she knew, though, was a scene of chaos. Dusk was here now, and she had seen her brother. She was screaming.

"This is all your fault! This is all your fault! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

'All my fault…?'

Darkness. It engulfed Noon in her shocked state and sucked her into an empty space. She got used to the blindness quickly, but it felt hard to go back to it after being able to see just moments ago. At first there was silence, but soon there were screams to be heard, and close. Noon knew it was Cell, somehow, and sure enough, he appeared behind her. She sensed that he was back in another form, out of his 'perfect' body. He hissed at her.

"Noon."

"Cell."

"Hmm…I thought you may be hard to get out of the head."

"Really? Well that's your fault for saving me, isn't it?"

"Yes I suppose. Although it doesn't matter now."

"Oh? So why have you retracted into an earlier form?"

"This is just a dream. Not reality."

"It seems to be a thin line between them." She paused for a long moment. "So what now? Where are we?"

"Nowhere. A void in your head, I guess."

"Then what was the screaming?"

"My victims, who else?" He let out a sly laugh.

"It's hard to imagine you as the Cell I know now."

"Well now you see…who I truly am."

It hit her, right there. He was right.

Neither spoke for a second, and Noon could just hear the swishing of Cell's tail, but then Noon sensed a person. A human simply walking up to the two of them. Cell watched him with his golden eyes as the human man looked up at Cell's tail.

"Absorb me, if you wish...but you don't have to."

"What? What are you talking about? You're just a weak human." He swung his tail to aim.

"No Cell! Don't -"

She stopped. And she knew. She knew why she had dreamt for so long. She knew why she had seen the things she had seen this time.

"What is it?" Cell asked impatiently, but was surprised that he had even asked.

"I'm dying. This is it."

"Now?"

"Now." He eyes looked up to him, trying to somehow catch his gaze. "You need to make the choice. You've kept me alive this long."

"I have done nothing for you. Now enough of all this. I need to prepare for my fight with Goku." On the Saiyans' name, he thrust his tail into the human. Screaming, he was absorbed into the android.

Cell smirked to himself, before the same man walked up to him again. This time Cell recognised him as a victim of the first city he attacked…his first victim.

"You have chosen."

-----

It woke Cell up in the centre of his arena. It awoke Goku with a start, Chi-chi along with him. It made Master Roshi pause in his midnight reading session. It made Krillin jump and Piccolo stop meditating. It caused Vegeta to stand abruptly, and Gohan to get out of bed. It confused Trunks greatly, and struck fear into the young heart of Dende.

And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the power serge vanished.

"So er…what do you suppose that was, guys?" Krillin leant over the edge of Kami's tower. "Was it Cell?"

"Of course not!" Vegeta snapped. "If it were Cell we'd have known."

"I guess…"

"Yeah and it wasn't my dad either." Gohan looked up to Piccolo.

"It wasn't anyone, or anything we know."

-----

Goku decided to fly to Capsule Corporation. The knot in his stomach urged him not to go any further, to return to the now sleeping Chi-chi back home in bed. He knew that he didn't know what had caused the sudden serge, and it was this reason of unfamiliarity that made him sure what had probably happened.

He knocked on the door loudly, cursing himself for getting there so fast. A good two minutes later had passed before a dressing gown-clad Bulma answered it.

"Is she here?"

"…One second…wait here." Goku allowed himself into the huge building, knowing that Bulma needed no explanation. She returned several minutes later.

"No, she isn't."

Goku sighed, scratching his head. "I though you'd say that."

"Do you think she's…?"

"I can't say for sure. I can't sense her, but that's how it's been for some time now. Something tells me she isn't…but I could just be hoping."

"If she isn't…gone…then where is she?"

"I don't know…where do people go to die? I mean, she did _know _she was dying, right?"

"Yeah…" Her face was scrunched in thought. "…yeah she did. But people don't go anywhere to die."

"People don't, but what about animals?" Goku looked turned his attention to his feet, thinking carefully.

"Animals...yes! Goku, where would a Dragon go to die?" She looked at him with understanding. "Remember what she told Vegeta about Dragon pride? It's so obvious!" Goku nodded slowly.

"…Home…"

-----

It seemed an eternity ago when he first came upon this waterfall. And now more than ever, Cell wished never to have done so. If his damn curiosity hadn't brought him back to Noon, she'd have died peacefully, and without causing him such disruption. Today the falls sounded empty, cold and unwanted. A feeling of foreboding resonating from every ripple.

The grass on the other side of the falls felt dead, or dying, and Cell paused in his pursuit upon discovering her book in exactly the same place as last time. Noon's drawing days seemed to have ended after 'sketching' Cell. A day he was sure never to forget. It was then when he realised he was gripping onto something tightly. How they had gotten there, he didn't know. He was sure he had left both the blue stone and the red piece of silk back at the arena. Keeping a hold of them, he frowned to himself for being so absent-minded on the way here.

He eventually got through to the light, but it offered no peace of mind…or anything positive. What used to be a place of beauty was now a scene of death. Everything was dead, from the grass to the tree in the middle, but it was Noon that Cell's attention was brought to.

Her wide eyes were a blank black, her head tossed back and to the side. Her body was twisted, and her mouth hung open to its fullest. Cell's breathing quickened as he made his way towards her. One hand was closed tightly onto her chest, the other oddly bent with fingers curling back. Her body was a scene of pain and suffering, and the Dragon along her ear burnt a dull red. Cell knew now what "choice" he had made. He had chosen physical perfection over her life, and for the first time in his existence he felt regret. He realised now, too late, that for reasons he couldn't quite comprehend, he was the one who could have made a difference.

"But what could I have done?" He asked himself out loud. "Stop doing what I was created for? Cancel my tournament for the sake of one woman? Why on this damned Earth would that have made any difference?" He knew though, that he could have done something. _Anything_. "No. This is the way it would have happened! I made no difference!" He was angry. Not angry at anything or anyone in particular…just angry. "Would it have made a difference?"

_You've kept me alive this long… _

"Did she think I was keeping her alive? Did she know? How…I don't understand…" Cell knew it no longer mattered. Noon was dead.

Now he didn't know what to do. He felt lost without a purpose, and he knew he had to leave now. He looked around, perhaps for some sort of an answer, and spotted something that made his blood boil. Stood far back into the shadows was the creature Dusk swore wasn't her doing. Its eyes matched Noon's, and met them, staring endlessly at her lifeless body.

Cell clasped his hands tightly, his teeth gritted in anger. As though noticing his presence for the first time, it turned its ghastly gaze onto him.

"You…did you do this?" It didn't answer, it just stared. "Bring her back…" He found himself saying. "…Do you hear me? Bring her back!" It opened its mouth one tiny bit, and then in one swift motion, was stood directly in front of Cell. He stood tall, but his facial features were tense. He grabbed it by the arm, but found that its skin was painful to the touch. It burnt. Releasing it, Cell scowled.

"Fine." Without knowing or even thinking about what it would do, Cell took the shining blue stone and thrust it into the skull of the 'demon'. With a horrendous scream the creature broke apart from the head down, disappearing within the rock. The stone dulled, and there was silence once again. Cell stood for a second, unsure why he'd just done that, then let out a soft sigh.

He stared at Noon for what seemed like hours, replaying everything he could ever remember about her, and decided he perhaps ought to leave. Before he did so, however, he approached her.

"I wanted it to bring you back." He told her, kneeling down. "Come back, won't you?" He got no answer, but he still waited for one. "Is there any way of doing it?"

'Give it up.' His brain told him harshly. 'You could have saved her if you'd wanted to, but you chose not to. Doesn't that make it clear? Your goal in life is not to save a woman's life, and you know it. Your tournament is in a few hours away and you're grieving over a pitiful creature. Stop being so naïve like some small child. She's gone and you will have nothing more to do with her, understand?' Gero's voice reverberated in his head, his goals clearly outlined.

"We have a fight to be had, Goku." He said aloud.

But he didn't move. He didn't get up to leave as his brain told him to. Instead he closed Noon's eyes, set her body straight, and closed her mouth to rest. Now she looked peaceful and natural once again. Her hair was no longer full-bodied and radiant, but it was limp and dull. Her skin glowed in the moonlight, and she looked modestly beautiful even now.

"You've shown me many things, Noon…" He sighed. "…I wanted it to bring you back." He leant down to kiss her, but barely touched her lips. He couldn't bring himself to do so, knowing that he'd never get a response.

-----

Goku stopped in mid-flight, and stared down at the figure stood on the white tiles. Cell didn't move, but knew full well that Goku was floating above him. However, he remained still and silent. Goku decided to join him down on the ground.

"What is it?" Cell didn't look at Goku. In fact, he looked particularly vacant.

"Well…I was just on my way to see Noon."

"I wouldn't bother wasting your time." He replied dully, meeting Goku's gaze.

"Isn't she at home?"

"Oh she's there alright." He let out a small laugh through his nose. For what reason, he didn't know.

"Don't tell me-"

"Yes Goku…she's dead."

Goku passed Cell, mouth slightly open. "I was too late." He went to take off again, but Cell's voice drifted across to him.

"There was nothing you could have done for her."

"...Right...I guess."

"Oh, and Goku?" Goku turned towards Cell's back, he was looking off to the side. "I do hope you're ready for our battle tomorrow…the fate of this planet will depend upon its outcome."

Goku simply stared, at first appalled, but there was something in Cell's eyes, staring intently at the ground, that told him his tournament wasn't the main thing on his mind.

-----

When Goku came to Noon's home, however, he was vaguely surprised to see that she wasn't there.

"She's passed on to Other World. Maybe now she'll be at peace." He turned straight back around to leave, and found himself stumbling on something on the ground. Upon further inspection he realised it was the blue Iotanian stone.

"Hmmm…" Goku thought for a moment. "I wonder if there's anything else Noon wouldn't want anyone to see…If they came ever across this place." He formed a small ki ball, and searched her home thoroughly. "Nothing here…just a couple of pencils." He held the ball high, so that he could see the waterfall from where he was. His eyes swept the ground. "Nothing. Strange." He looked at the pencils in his hand thoughtfully. "Then what did she write on? Didn't she have paper, or a book or something?" Shrugging, he stuffed the pencils into his pocket to take to Kami's tower, along with the stone. With that done, he left Noon's home with a heavy heart, and headed for his own.

-----

And with a heavy heart it was that each Z Warrior carried that next morning to the 'Cell Games', each agreeing that if they ever made it out alive, Noon would be revived by the Dragon on its second wish.

Although now it seemed that they would be joining her. Goku had already lost to Cell and given up his life for the sake of the others, Gohan had taken up his fight, ascending past the level of a Super Saiyan. Cell had even lost Android 18 and self-destructed, yet he had come back more powerful than ever before. Now it was Gohan against Cell in a furious Ka-me-ha-me-ha wave stand-off.

"Stay out of it!" Cell's voice boomed from behind the blue glow. Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha and Krillin had all joined the fray in a desperate attempt to help Gohan.

"You need to keep going, Gohan! Keep pushing for that power, it's still not enough!"

The Earth shook tremendously, and its inhabitants were running wild. Fear overtook each one, driving them to the breaking point. Not a place could be heard without the shrill scream of a petrified woman, the cry of a child, or the frantic shouting of a terrified man. Cell had done what he was created for-terrorising the Earth.

"You have no chance! No chance!"

Then something caught his eye-the very corner of it. Keeping his energy steadily in place, the Android looked over to where he thought he saw it. There. It was there again. The dark creature, undefined by the bright light, it seemed to be staring at Cell again. It was walking towards him.

Piccolo noticed the sudden change in Cell's facial expression, and so followed his gaze. His eyes widened, and he took a good long look to make sure he wasn't imagining it. In his slight daze Cell was caught off guard by an attack from above-it was Vegeta.

"Vegeta!"

"Now's your chance!" Goku's voice sounded in Gohan's head, causing the young boy to explode with raw power and energy, tipping the balance far towards his favour.

Cell couldn't control it, and he knew it. So then for the last seconds of his life he simply stared at her. "She's…alive." Her expression was unclear, but she was certainly there. Although slightly bedraggled, Noon looked pretty damn alive for a dead woman.

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**A/N: We're a long way from the end, yet! I'll try and update soon. **


	23. The SevenYearOld Flash

You guys have been great. There isn't an apology I can make, really, but I am very sorry. It's been close to a year, no? Thank you to those who are still reading, and to those who, apparently, are still reviewing, too!

You're all ace.

I've got myself into an inspired gear now, what with my DBZ episodes back onto the computer (yey!), but I hope my long and imbecilic absence hasn't put you off. Not that I'd blame you if you've ditched this, but I'll be updating as often as I can from now on if you're still interested. Thank you and, well, sorry. :)

Oh yes! For the two fighters in the Cell games (Satan's apprentices) I may have gotten their names wrong. If anyone wants to correct me on them, feel free.

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z does not belong to me...at all...and never...ever...will.

* * *

Chapter 22 – The Seven-Year-Old Flash. 

Piccolo opened his sharp, black eyes, eyes ringing after a particularly strenuous meditation session. After 37 hours of it, the Namekian warrior decided, for once, to take a short break.

He crossed the slick white tiles in little time, to meet with Mr. Popo, watering one of the many plants upon the Lookout. With not so much as a nod, Piccolo continued swiftly towards a small fountain attached to the main of the huge building. Cupping his hands, he found himself thirstier than he'd first anticipated, and frustratingly impatient at how little water he could gather at any one time.

"Here."

Piccolo glanced at Noon, who was holding a large wooden cup to him. She looked pale, unsmiling, but healthy nonetheless. She had, however, lost whatever glow or particular energy it was that had made her mysterious and pretty. Noon never spared a smile for Piccolo, for no such thing was wanted. Since an argument between the two of them had erupted a few years ago, it was a rare sight to see them together.

Reluctantly, Piccolo took the cup, filled it, and drank deeply from it.

"What do you want?" He asked Noon, who was staring blankly up at him, waiting. No sooner had he said it, when he noticed a great big jug in her other hand. She had probably just come to get some water.

"I've just come to get some water." She confirmed solemnly.

With a "hmph" not dissimilar to Vegeta's, Piccolo strode past her to leave.

"By the way…" Noon called out to Piccolo, who turned to face her quickly, as though expecting something.

"What?" He prompted in his usual low tone.

"…Gohan will be visiting us shortly, I think. Or so Dende says."

An odd expression passed over his face, but he quickly settled it.

"I thought you might be pleased…although, not for quite that reason." She spoke softly. "Decent company for once, hmm? I guess it's true – he really is the only person you truly connect with."

"I didn't say that." He sounded startled.

"But I heard you say it."

"When?"

"Just now!"

"But I didn't…how did you…?"

"I really doesn't matter." She waved the subject away, and Piccolo gave her a stolid look, folding his arms.

'Just go back to sleep, where you belong.' He thought bitterly.

"Where I belong?" She repeated with an edge to her voice. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"What?" His eyes widened.

"You heard. Listen Piccolo, I know you don't like me being here, but Dende was kind enough-"

"Too kind, if you ask me. Your place is not at the lookout. Perhaps it's time you went to your own home. We've put up with you for too long."

"Am I such a burden, Piccolo? To you, personally?"

"Your past is a burden to us…to me. You-"

"I did not betray you Piccolo…or Goku. Don't even say it. It is strange how this…view of me only cropped up when I came back alive. Tell me, Piccolo, if I had died, would you and the others have thought differently of me?"

"I will not speak of this now-"

"You will never speak of it. You will _never_ understand-"

"We tried to." He growled in his most dangerous voice. "And if I'm not mistaken, we are repeating ourselves. If you have nothing better to say, then I have no reason to listen. Go take another one of your naps." He spat.

Noon turned towards the fountain wordlessly, and began to fill up the jug as though she hadn't just bumped into Piccolo. He, on the other hand, left the area with a small, almost satisfied grunt. Noon listened as his footsteps disappeared, and then to the water tumbling, as to judge how much water she was collecting.

She closed her eyes, and replayed some particular words of Piccolo's in her head. He had made a point of her sleeping, and she couldn't deny that she had been doing a lot of it recently. When Noon had first come up to the Lookout – along with the Z-Fighters straight after the Cell Games had ended – her nights had been sleepless, taunted by the betrayal and death the others had put Noon down as responsible. Only Dende, and Mr. Popo were at all kind to her, gave her respect…spoke to her at all. Did they see something the others hadn't? Had Dende witnessed what Noon had struggled to remember? She did not know, but the dreams that followed on from that point for years afterwards…they replayed every moment she'd spent with Cell, refreshing her memory of the two weeks or so she had known the android…

…Two weeks?

She felt as though she'd known him for an eternity. Guilty as it made her feel, she revelled in the comfort and warmth these dreams provided, shielding her from the cold gaze of Piccolo and the others.

These 'memories' as such, though, bore something in particular that she was sure hadn't happened before…A voice, one that Noon was sure belonged to Cell, was talking to her, just talking, but saying words that Noon could not quite comprehend in her dream-like state.

And then…the idea, the thought…that she and Cell could still be connected in mind…Was it possible that Cell was making connections in her dreams, even in death?

She started sleeping more often, consumed with the notion of talking to Cell so many years on. Finally she would know…Finally she could ask him. _Finally_, her question, for him only, might just...no_ would_ be answered; _Why _was it, she was still _alive_?

Noon felt no pain, or discomfort any longer. She had regained her full strength, despite removing her own tail, and she knew she was safe from death now.

But at what cost? She was still blind, and miserable at that! Noon had no use here, she should leave, she had thought. But she could not escape her severe sleeping pattern, spending only three hours awake per day. Not only that, but her dreams had become mere blurs, the same over and over;

A bright light, her own voice, a green flash, and an odd stroke of lavender…

"Noon?"

Noon started, jumping about a foot into the air, spilling the already overflowing fountain water absolutely everywhere. It had been flowing over Noon's boos now for the best part of ten minutes. She turned, and addressed Dende with an immediate apology. He shook his head with a smile, and helped her steady the jug.

"What on Earth were you thinking about?" His voice was young, but full of a kind joy.

"Nothing, really."

Dende accompanied Noon to the kitchen, where she placed the jug onto the table.

"Where's the cup?"

"Oh? I gave it to Piccolo."

"You spoke to Piccolo?"

"Sort of." She answered shortly.

"Did you tell him Gohan's coming?" He sounded excited.

"Yeah, I did." She paused for a very long time, before an itch of a question had to come bursting out; "What made Piccolo and the others hate me so much?"

Despite the fact that the question seemed to come from nowhere, Dende was prepared for it.

"They do not hate you. They hated Cell, and the chaos and pain he caused. Maybe they believed…you valued a creature such as that over your friends-"

"I would never put him before Piccolo! Or any of the others! Surely they know that? And…it was only when I emerged alive…" She thought about what she was saying, giving Dende the ideal opportunity to interject;

"They were very upset when you died, we all were. In fact, you were to be revived with the dragonballs." He sighed as she stared at him. "Understand, Noon, that you became very…strange…when Cell was destroyed. It was as though your energy and glow, along with your patience, had been drained. Do you remember, Noon?"

"…Not really, no."

"It was as though…you wish he'd won."

"No way! You can't have thought that!"

"Well…" Dende sounded extremely awkward all of a sudden; "Think about it – the Z-Fighters had just won, and you looked more like you wanted to die-"

"I _had _died! What was I supposed to look like?"

"You were disappointed by his death, Noon." He replied seriously. For a young man, he was certainly wise and knowledgeable; "When they tried to understand, you wouldn't explain-"

"I can't explain." She collapsed into one of the carved chairs, defeated, Dende seating himself opposite.

"Is it no so, that you still dream of him?"

"I admit that I did at one time, but I'm out of that sleeping pattern now."

"Yes, it seems so." He said quietly, kindly. "Something happened to you, and I don't think anything can be explained to anyone unless you know the exact details. When you know, they will know. Mr. Popo believes so, too...You were so ill, can you remember much?"

"I remembered most things…recently."

Dende leant back into his chair.

"Do you and Mr. Popo know something, Dende?" Was she kidding herself? He was just a teenager…he looked at her, and she felt odd talking about something so serious with someone so young.

"I know one thing." Noon leant forward quickly. "You must not stay here much longer. Your 'sleeping patterns' say it is time. Gohan, I'm sure, will make sure of this."

"What do you-?"

"He's here." Dende cut across her. "Don't worry; he will not be angry in the slightest."

Noon got the impression that the young guardian could read minds.

-----

"Goku…if he's entering, it should be one to remember."

"So…whatd'ya say?"

"Sure kid, I'll do it. It actually sounds like fun."

"I'll bet Dende would enjoy the tournament as well."

"That sounds great, yeah! Come!"

"Hey thanks but…I'm not much of a fighter, Gohan, I think I'd better stick to healing."

"I do have one question…you're not going to wear _that _in the tournament, are you?" Piccolo was eyeing Gohan's 'super hero' costume.

"What? Man, not you, too! You don't think my outfit looks good?!"

"Hmmm..." He closed his eyes, a small sweat drop appearing on his brow, before addressing Gohan with open eyes once again; "Gohan, I can't lie to you; it's ridiculous!"

-----

"Of all people, Piccolo! I can't believe it! Really! He wears a turban for goodness sake! And those pointy little booties, and who knows what that is he drapes over his shoulders…! Oh my gosh…come to think of it, I used to dress just like him all those years when I was a kid! Man, now I know why he said my outfit looks ridiculous; he's jealous!"

Noon laughed out loud for the first time in what seemed like years, and an odd silenced passed between them for a long time.

"I can't believe Goku's coming back."

"I know, isn't it great?"

"Yeah…it really is!" Noon let out a short laugh, as she and Gohan made their way across the deep purple sky together. She believed her own words, but was extremely nervous about seeing Goku again. For the most part, though, she was excited. Especially now, when she was setting off for a home of her own.

"Are you sad…you know…about leaving the Lookout?"

"Not really…no, if I'm honest."

"I understand."

"You do?"

"Well yeah…I guess it's a hard thing to understand, but I won't hold anything against you." He paused. "You know…I mean…you do know that you'd have been welcome back at our home, don't you?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, of course!" Gohan sounded somewhat surprised at Noon's shock.

"Gohan, I would never place that kind of burden in front of you." She smiled at him. "I should really just find a place to live…alone. But I thank you…very much."

Gohan smiled, and sighed. "To be honest, we haven't much room at the moment, what with Goten and I-"

"Goten?"

"My little brother!"

"You're kidding me?"

"No, I'm not!" Gohan laughed.

"Wow…Wait until he meets his dad."

"Yeah…"

A long time passed in silence, before Noon spoke once again;

"Did Bulma tell you exactly what she wanted me for?"

"No, not exactly…but it's something to do with the Cell games."

Noon's stomach twisted. "The Cell games…oh Kami, not _that_."

"Hmm…that's _kinda_ why I didn't mention it before. I was worried you wouldn't come…But Bulma told me this was far too strange…perhaps too important for you not to see. I'd come with you, but…you know what my mom's like. Will you be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks a lot, Gohan." And with a wave, he was gone.

-----

Noon reached Capsule Corporation within little time – she found it easy to trace both Vegeta's, and Trunks' energy signal. She landed at the door, and rang the buzzer. What sounded like an automated voice blared out of it.

"Capsule Corporation, how may we be of assistance?"

"Miss. Noon Sunn to see Ms. Bulma Briefs, please." She replied in what she hoped was a formal tone. With a bleep she heard;

"One moment, please."

Not two seconds later she heard what was unmistakably Bulma's voice, which made her jump as she seemed to collide with the intercom.

"Noon? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

The huge door opened, and there she was, looking somewhat impatient. Well, she sounded it, anyway.

"Has Gohan just got to you? Is everything ok? Yes, yes good." She hurried Noon in, and stopped for a moment to look at her. "Are you alright? You look pale."

"I'm fine, thank you." Bulma hesitated for a moment, as though in doubt, before relaxing a little. "And how are you? Long time, no see, eh?"

"What? Oh yes, I'm fine."

"Erm…" Noon tried, and failed, not to sound awkward. "I…um…won't be bumping into Vegeta, will I?"

"Don't worry; he's in the gravity room."

"Oh…"

"It's ok, I understand."

Noon nodded, lots of people were understanding today. "Ok."

They lingered in the hallway for a few minutes, and Bulma appeared contemplative.

"Cell was here once, you know." The comment came so out of the blue, Noon did not know how to reply. Bulma smiled. "When he and Goku found you – together," she added that almost poignantly, "-they brought you here. Do you remember?"

"Sort of." She gave an apologetic look.

"Well, when you were upstairs in bed…Cell made a point of standing in this very spot." She motioned to the ground.

"Really?"

"He stood there for hours, he often wanted to go up…but I don't think things were adding up correctly in his head."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think he expected you to come along. You know, make an effect as you did."

"No, I guess not."

"Noon…" Bulma said after a moment or two; "I really need to show you something…" It was as though she'd forgotten about it; "Not quite to do with this…something a little bit odd."

"What exactly is it?"

"It's video footage of the Cell games."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"But…I know what happened…what really happened, I mean." She added, thinking of Hercule Satan with a frown.

"Yes, I know, but there's something on the tape."

"Something…else?"

"Yes. On the magnetic strip…it's as though something has distrupted the magnetic force around the area at the Cell games."

"Doesn't bodily energy kick out some magnetism?"

"Not like this – this is machine made. I didn't spot it, myself. It was Trunks who saw it. I don't think it's visible to a human eye."

"But why are you showing me? I can't see anything."

"No…but you can hear it. Both Trunks, and even Vegeta have tried it, but you have the best hearing. And besides, I think it has something greatly to do with you."

Noon followed Bulma into a small room off the entrance hall, which contained an old motorcycle, and a television set. They sat down as Bulma pushed the VCR into the machine.

"Tell me again…what is this we're about to look at?"

"I think it's a series of images layered over the original tape. It's almost as though two things are happening at once."

"Impossible."

"Is it? According to the parts Vegeta could hear, two things are certainly going on at once."

"Let's just take a…listen."

The tape began to play. Noon listened to the voice of Gerald Firecracker, as its irritating pitch reached her ears. And then, came Mr Satan.

"How far on is this thing?" Noon asked.

"It's quite a way…but I thought you might want to listen to it all."

"Yeah…will you know when it's about to come up?"

"Yes, I can judge it by the timer. It's-"

"Wait." Noon put up her hand. "Something's there."

"What? It shouldn't be for ages, yet!"

"It's an energy signal…like a crackling…but it's organised…like co-ordinates or something extremely specific…it's _weird_."

By the time it had stopped, both Piroshki and Ceroni had been beaten pathetically. Hercule was now pilling up some ceramic tiles.

"Isn't he ridiculous?"

"You are not kidding." Noon replied.

Hercule managed to break most of the tiles, bar one, which came as no real surprise. However, over his stupid triumphant roar, Noon heard as clear as day;

'His ignorance is _painful_.'

Noon allowed herself a laugh, which caught Bulma off guard.

"What?"

"A villain he may be, but he knows an idiot when he sees one."

"What are talking about?"

"Well, Cell obviously doesn't want to spend much time on this guy. Did he not hear what he said?" She chuckled again.

"Care to explain?"

"He said his ignorance was painful." Now she had repeated it, though, it had lost its humour.

"Really? Gosh, you must have good hearing. I didn't even see his lips move."

"Oh…" Noon decided to drop it; she had made herself feel uncomfortable.

It was far into the fight between Goku and Cell when Bulma spoke again;

"It's soon."

"Right," She'd been thinking about it; "I'll listen to it once, and then I want you to slow it down, and describe what you see."

"Ok."

A few moments…and then she heard it. It sounded like a ghost, eerie and creepy, jumping like a badly recorded tape. It was as though it shouldn't have been there at all. However, she could hear each word clearly;

_"We haven't come far enough. We need to go further!" _

"Pause it." She said quickly. Bulma did so. "What can you see?" She needed to know now.

"Nothing, it's just a bright light."

A bright light…and her own voice.

"I'm talking." She told Bulma. "That's my voice."

"That's what Vegeta thought."

"Keep playing."

The tape continued on, and underneath the battle cries of both Cell and Goku, she heard another voice. One she didn't quite recognise…or did she?

_"We need to get her out of here! What if they see her?" _

And then, Noon's heart leapt, as another voice rang out.

_"Pass that here, and you take her. Don't forget the cloak, and be_ quiet!_" _

It was Cell.

"What do you see, what do you see?" Noon was panicky, forgetting that the tape could actually be played again.

Bulma paused it again, and shook her head. "Erm…It's faint, but there's a figure, like a flash of green." Noon felt as though she was trying to swallow her stomach. "And…" She gasped loudly.

"What?" Noon's voice was hushed, almost terrified.

"It's…my Trunks." She gaped at the screen. "I mean, I think it's my Trunks…his hair is short but still…"

"Still lavender in colour, perhaps?" Noon finished, almost sarcastically.

"Yeah…I've never seen this before."

As she said it, the television made an odd sound, like a hissing. Not two seconds later, it exploded, taking the tape with it.

"Well…I think that concludes the watching of the tape."

"Yeah…" Bulma's eyes had gone wide.

"Bulma, I really must go. I have to talk to Dende, I think he knew about this."

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah…but thanks. Take care, won't you?"

"How could you leave me hanging in suspense like this?"

"I'm sorry, Bulma. Hey, listen...don't tell anyone about this, ok?"

Noon left the room as quickly as possible, her heart pounding, although she wasn't sure why…Or perhaps it was because she'd just heard herself, and Cell, talking at the Cell games? Yeah, that might be it.

"Why am I panicking why am I panicking _why _am I panicking? _Control _yourself." She did as she told herself but her mind still raced. Surely Dnde knew about this – knew that Gohan would lead her to Bulma and from her to this…but what did it mean? Was Cell _alive?_ "I need to go." She told herself firmly, heading for the door. It slowly opened, and Noon took in a deep breath of air. It was cut short, however, when she sensed the person stood right in front of her.

He was different, for sure. Much older than the last they met, perhaps, but there was no mistaking it; Noon had just walked right into a fully-grown adult Trunks.


	24. The Lavender Stroke

Chapter 23 – The Lavender Stroke. 

Noon's mouth didn't close for a long time, shock completely overriding every nerve in her body. Trunks stood just a foot away from her, his once bright eyes looking tired and heavy. She couldn't quite comprehend what had happened in the last half and hour or so, and she felt suddenly terrified.

Finally, after some time, she managed to speak; "What…in hell…are you doing here?"

"That's a nice way to talk to an old friend." His voice was deeper, gruff, and mature.

"It really is you…unbelievable." She began to side-step him.

"Hey wait, what are you doing?"

Noon was backing away from him, her eyes wide. "I need…to see Dende."

"No you can't go!" He grabbed her roughly, completely confused at her fright. And then, he thought he knew the answer. "…Do you think I'm mad at you?"

Noon didn't answer.

"Listen, you can't go…there's something I really need your help with! Noon! I'm not mad at you!"

"It's not that…you've had your hair cut short, haven't you?"

"…How did you…?"

"Your mother told me. I…I don't know how to explain this…but…I've sorta just seen you."

Now Trunks didn't answer.

"Why on Earth are you here? Right now?"

"You've had yours cut, too." He commented, ignoring her question. He looked at how different she looked. She had indeed had her hair cut short. "…If you've just seen me, somehow, then that must mean I was supposed to find you. I knew it had to be you."

"Why? I…I don't understand."

"I won't dance around the subject, Noon. I'm in trouble back in my time. This is so much worse than the androids."

"What?"

"The Earth is gone. The human race has been destroyed!"

Noon stepped further away from him, and jumped at a sound behind her.

"We need to get away from here. Right now!" And with saying that, he took off. Noon didn't hesitate to follow, barely believing how suddenly things had become seriously odd.

"What on Earth is going on, Trunks?" She called through the wind rushing by.

"It's a creature, worse than the androids. It destroyed the Earth mere days after it was awoken."

"Why?"

"No competition." He paused for a long time, teeth gritted. Noon was getting the quick version of the story, and it was obvious that Trunks was in a panic; "It needs to battle constantly, but with all of the Earth's special service dead, there was no-one to fight. It destroyed what it saw as a useless planet."

"Didn't it come after you?"

"I wasn't there. I was on my way to Namek to find the Dragon Balls. But it beat me to it."

"So Namek's gone, too?"

"Yes." He took a nosedive, and Noon followed suit, landing on what seemed to be a grassy plain. She could sense anger radiating from his body. He was shaking, and fiddling with something on his wrist. The instrument, whatever it was, was emitting small bleeps and odd little noises.

He grabbed her; "Come with me! Quick!"

"Trunks!" Noon didn't hold her shout back, and grabbed his wrists as hard as she could, shaking him hard. "Please, please explain all of this! You can't just whisk me away somewhere without telling me why!"

"I know who you are!"

It came so quickly, Noon thought she'd been hit with full force to the head. She stumbled backwards physically, mouth open, before letting out a few ragged breaths.

"You…you know who I am?…What…I am?"

"Yes, and it is imperative that you come with me. It has to be you!"

"But why?" Noon was starting to get agitated, and maybe a little angry.

"A lot of it has to do with you, I'm sure of it. This monster…is connected with you."

She let in a quick breath…Noon had feared something like this would emerge from her past. Her brother's murder…did this mean she was one of the bad guys? Was she no better than her sister? Was she _worse_?

"No…no way." She looked at him quickly. "Well go on…tell me!"

"I can't…not here."

"You _what_?!" She bared her teeth angrily. "Trunks! How could you do that?"

"Please…we have to go…you'll find out!"

"Stop!"

She grabbed him firmly by the forearms, angry and confused, and gripped hard. She was sick and tired of being the one who had no idea. Sick and tired of being out of time. _Sick _and _tired _of being told she'll "find out" every detail of her life. Noon always felt as though everything around her came and went within a whirlwind, never able to control anything that happed to her, nor the time to work out what the hell just passed by. Slowly and carefully she let him go, making sure her eyes were meeting his. Trunks remained silent, but no less panicked. He could tell that Noon had gotten angry.

"Now listen," she said, "Just calm yourself down…and think for a moment, ok? Just think. You have a time traveling device, yes?" He nodded. "Yes. So it will not make any difference if we set off for a certain time or place now, than if we left in ten minutes. Am I correct? No matter what time we leave in, the time we go to will always be there." She spoke slowly, as to calm herself down as well as Trunks. "I understand that something terrible has happened, but rushing around is going to do no good whatsoever."

"…You're right…I'm sorry. I can at least offer a better explanation." He sighed deeply. "We have as much time as we need…right now. I er…never thought about it, really."

"Exactly. Now…shall we try again? How far have you traveled to get here?"

Trunks took a deep breath, before collecting his thoughts thoroughly.

"It must be around forty years from the future. But you have to understand…that it isn't quite as simple as time travel."

"You're saying time travel is easy?"

"Compared to what I had to do to get here…yes. If you think about it, this is not the past of my timeline. At this time in my past, everyone – including you – is dead. Traveling back forty years in my time would take me back to my training years with Gohan."

"Yes…of course. But that means it should be impossible for you to come here."

"By means of time travel it would, but my mother designed a device when she realized the same thing. She died, however, before it was completed. It took years, and many lives, to finally make it."

"What is it?" The thought suddenly occurred to her that Trunk's original time machine was for one person. The fact that she had to go with him somehow had just surfaced in her mind.

"This…" He handed his wrist out to her.

"A watch?" She asked, incredulously. "No way."

"Yeah. But it's obviously not just an ordinary timekeeper. This dial here controls what time in which you wish to appear, and the one on the other side is the time you left, for a quick back-track."

"So in other words, an easy escape."

"You could say that…yeah."

She felt the watch. "And this dial?"

"Location."

"Um hmm, seems logical enough. What's this on the top?"

"That's what's called the 'cloak'."

"The cloak?" She'd heard the term before…recently.

"A cloaking device. It uses magnetic pulses to disguise you when you first appear, to allow the traveler to catch their bearings before anything bad should happen to them. The bonus of it is that if there are pieces of electrical equipment around that you don't want interfering with you, it will protect you from that for the first few seconds, too."

"Like…for instance…a video recorder?"

"Yes, I imagine it would disrupt it pretty badly. I was thinking more security cameras, though." He sighed through his nose. "It will also give you safe time to decipher whether or not the air is breathable."

"A handy button, then."

"Yeah, you could say that. And that's it for the time point of view."

"Yeah? Well there's something you ain't telling me, then, 'cause there's plenty of buttons left. And don't you dare tell me they're for telling the time."

He let out a small laugh, despite the fact that he was neither amused, nor smiling. "I had to cross dimensions to get here." He said simply. Noon didn't quite take it in at first.

"…Do you realize…how dangerous that is?"

"I'm aware of the complications, yes." He tapped his watch. "This is the first time I've done it properly…and I don't think it liked it." The watch bleeped several times, whereas Noon stayed silent, and unbelieving. "In fact, I'm not sure we'll get back in one piece. It's gone a bit mad."

"Well that puts the confidence right back into me! I cannot believe you!"

"We'll have to leave it alone for a few moments." He said, ignoring her.

"We could end up anywhere! You could've ended up anywhere!" She flailed her arms maniacally.

"I know, but it's a risk I had to take…"

"It's really that bad?"

"Its name is Majin Buu, and from the look on your face, you have no idea what it is."

Noon de-scrunched her face. "Never heard of it."

"It's evil, it's pink, and it killed you all those years ago."

Her breathing slowed, trying to process what he'd just said. "That's why it's connected with me."

"Yes."

"So if it's killed me once…what makes you think I'll be strong enough this time?"

It was a good point, but Trunks was ready for it. "You'll have help."

She nodded slowly, completely unconvinced. "Ok, then. So where is this Majin Buu? Who exactly is trying to fight it now?"

"It's in otherworld. And right now, it's in Hell…alive." Taking Noon's silence as a sign to continue, he did so; "With all of the strongest fighters dead, otherworld was the creature's obvious first option. Gohan and the others have had round one, but now its attention has turned to bad guys. Unfortunately, Cell and Frieza, amongst others, can't defend themselves for long. Majin Buu enjoys hunting them down. Not that I feel sorry for them or anything, but we're kinda all in the same boat now."

"So what's the deal with this thing?! Is it an alien, or an android, perhaps?"

"No, as far as I know it's a creation. Kami only knows what went into it, but I do know that a wizard is behind it."

"A…wizard?" This was getting far too weird now. Was it a joke? She was certainly hoping so.

"According to a friend of mine, a wizard named Bibidi would control it, sealing it inside a ball to transport it…or to keep it at bay when it didn't do as it was told."

"What's its purpose?"

"It's not entirely known. Bibidi is dead, and it was his son, Babidi, who then re-opened the seal. It may or may not surprise you that he is also dead. He was dead as soon as Buu got the chance to kill him."

"So the only way to stop it now is to kill it?"

"Yes."

"…Great." Her head was bowed, knowing this wasn't going to go well at all. Then, a sudden thought occurred. "Wait! Was Majin Buu awoken on Earth?"

"Yes…why?"

"Won't that mean it's here? Now? On this very Earth?"

"Oh my God you're right! This is why we need to find a way to destroy it. The sooner we leave here, the earlier we can reappear."

"Yeah…If reappearing is an option!"

Trunks cast her an apologetic look, before turning his attention skeptically onto his wrist. Noon was rapidly getting worried that she'd go insane. This information all at once was driving her nuts…And the worst of it was…she thought her going with Trunks would be completely pointless. But then again…there had to be a reason as to why she was led here. Right?

_Right_?

"Er…Trunks…? Did you say Cell would be there?"

"Yes." He replied, perhaps a little too sharply. "But not exactly as you know him."

She didn't ask why. She was sure she'd 'find out'. If they ever got there, that is.

"Erm…how…_exactly_…am I supposed to come with you?"

"Just hold onto me."

"That's it? Isn't that also a bit dangerous? I mean…anyone could catch a lift."

"Another risk that had to be taken." He said, matter-of-factly. "It's the only way to transport a lot of people in very little time."

"Fair enough." She didn't argue further, but she was starting to get tired of his haughty attitude. Perhaps asking about Hell's occupants was a bad idea.

"Ok…I think this is it."

"You think?"

"Hmm…" He didn't sound too convinced, but he took hold of Noon's arm and pressed the button, anyway.

Time traveling didn't seem as bad as Noon had first thought, but what she did feel was anger at his carelessness. The appearance of Majin Buu had not brought out his best side. Suddenly her stomach dropped, and she assumed, with an apparent amount of terror, that they had just crossed 'dimensions'. She didn't like their odds at all.

They landed relatively soon onto hard ground, which she was quite pleased about. They must have been in open air – Noon could feel the breeze on her face.

"So…er…are we in the right place?"

"No."

Noon's stomach jolted. "…Right…time?"

"No…not even the right direction. We've gone back in time, not forwards, and skipped to the dimension on the left, not the right."

What that meant, she hadn't a clue, but what she obviously knew was that they were way out.

"Can't we go back?"

"No." His short answers were bothering her.

"Why _not_?"

"The watch seems to have gone mad again. Maybe we didn't leave it long enough."

"Maybe? _Maybe_?!" She took a deep breath, and noticed Trunks had his face in his hands. She took a hold of his arm, and spoke to his face slowly. "Where are we?…When are we?"

"Seven miles south-east of Eastern city."

She thought for a moment. "That's two miles away from Cell's arena." He nodded. "And the time?"

"Seven years into the past." He pulled a worried face; "Coincidence, huh?"

"The exact time of the Cell games?" She tapped the toe of her boot onto the ground and shook her head wildly. "Coincidence my big left toe."

-----


	25. Set Stages

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks a lot for your support, I really appreciate it! I'm in all the right gears for getting on with this now. :)

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Chapter 24 – Set Stages

The man was first to touch down. He hovered on his toes for a second or two, before his large feet flattened out onto the dusty ground. The woman, just over half his height, landed close next to him. The taller of the pair looked around, his jet black hair catching in the wind. Raising an eyebrow, he took note of the fact that they were alone.

"They're late." He said, his deep voice resonating with the silence around him.

"Do you think they'll turn up?"

"I don't know. They've probably realized how quickly I'll destroy them all. Ridiculous Saiyans."

The woman passed him, hands on hips, to stand in front of him. "You're sounding a little confident, dear."

"Well, why not? They are weaklings."

She gave him a small slap on the arm, which was folded with its counterpart over his broad chest. "Pack it in, will you?" She turned her back to him to look at the area, whereas he smirked casually. Her deep red eyes searched her watch. "Ten minutes 'till the games start."

"Then that's how long they've got to get here." He stepped up to the arena in front of him. "So this is it, huh?"

"Yeah…" She didn't sound overly impressed. "Who do you reckon built it? Not Kakkarot, surely?" She pulled a face at the thought.

"No, probably Vegeta or Trunks…speaking of which…" He was looking up towards the sky, where two figures had appeared. The woman was watching them, too. She narrowed her eyes at the both of them. The man she knew, but the woman she'd never seen before.

Trunks and Noon, after much debating, had arrived at the Cell Games location. They touched down on the other side of the arena, and waited for someone to speak or do something. Trunks stared at the pair with disbelief. The woman he recognized immediately, the man he'd never seen before.

"So…er…what's up?" Noon asked nervously. "What's going on?"

"I…have no idea."

"Well shouldn't we find out?"

"No…I think we should just go."

"Don't be silly…" She couldn't hide the shake in her voice. "…There are two people over there…let's go to them."

"After you, then."

She huffed angrily, before gathering up the courage to hover over to them. Trunks was right behind her. They stopped just a little way away from them, before landing. Noon waited with baited breath for one of them to speak. If they did, she might actually find out who they are. The woman was considering Noon with a tilted head, but the man was fixed on Trunks. And for now, Trunks was fixated with the man, who had to be almost seven foot tall. His eyes got wider every second that he stared into his bright magenta hues. Trunks dismissed the thought. There was absolutely no way…was there? He wore a white t-shirt and dark pants, but his shoes were yellow, and his pale face was very familiar…

"So, you finally got the courage to show up." The man narrowed his eyes as he said it, and both Noon and Trunks gasped together.

"Is that-?!"

"-Are you-?!"

"…Cell?!"

The man let out a long breath through his nose, watching the two gawking people carefully.

"That is not my name, no."

Noon's shoulders relaxed from their tense position. "You sound…like someone we used to know."

"Is that so? Might I ask who you are?"

"You…don't know me?" Well, that was one thing she knew – she didn't exist in this dimension.

"Should I?"

"No…I guess not."

"You should." Said Trunks, looking now at the woman. "She's your sister."

Dusk stumbled back several paces, and the man thought to be Cell pulled a very odd expression.

"What?!…So…you're Dusk?" Noon asked her 'sister'.

"Yeah…But…who are you?" It was Dusk all right. Her husky voice was unmistakable.

"I'm Noon."

"Noon? Makes sense, really." Her mouth remained open.

The man they still didn't know the name of looked between Dusk and Noon. "I can't see much of a resemblance." Dusk was wearing similar clothes to what Noon used to wear, only in red and black, but since Noon had changed so much over the years, that statement was perfectly true.

"They looked a lot more like each other ten years ago." Trunks piped up.

"But I've never seen you before." Dusk was a little confused.

"We're not from around here."

"Yes, I see that now." The dark haired man peered at Trunks. "You're not the person I first thought you were."

"So who are you? You look like one of the androids." He responded harshly.

The man straightened up with a frown, locking both of his arms across his chest again. "I am an android."

"I knew it! So what now?! You going to hold your little _games_ and terrorize the planet, huh?!"

"He's not terrorizing anything!" Yelled Dusk, obviously very annoyed.

"And these certainly aren't my games." The man replied coolly.

"Trunks, will ya chill out?!" Noon was staring up at him, getting a bit irritated herself.

"But he's an android!"

"That might not be a bad thing here."

"So…you are Trunks, after all. Just not ours."

Trunks gritted his teeth. "Who _are you_?"

"What? Is my presence here bothering you?"

"_Yes_. _It_. _Is_."

"Stop!" Noon and Dusk shouted at the same time. The men fell silent.

"Look 'Ru, they're obviously not from around here, and I'd like to know what's going on as much as Noon does."

"Exactly." Added Noon, who was glaring at Trunks. She looked up to where she guessed the man's face was. "'Ru?" She asked. He didn't answer.

"His name." Dusk told her.

"You asked if my name was Cell?" He was directing his speech to Noon, rather than Trunks.

"Yes."

"Merely a codename." He said.

"…For what?" She asked, confused.

"My creation." Noon wasn't sure, but she thought she heard a slight bitterness in his voice. "My being is comprised from the cells of the most powerful fighters in the universe."

"So you're just like him."

"Like who?" Asked Dusk.

"Like Cell!" Growled Trunks.

"Might I assume…that you and this "Cell" are not on the best of terms?"

"He…caused a lot of pain where we both come from." Noon told him quietly. "He was the 'big bad' guy."

"Then you can be sure that they are not the same android." Dusk spoke quietly, as though trying to process the information.

"My name is Seru. I was created by Dr. Gero to eliminate the Saiyan and the rest of my enemies."

"You…you mean Goku?"

"Who is Goku?"

Trunks and Noon stared.

"He's a Saiyan…where we come from. And a great one at that."

"A great Saiyan?" Seru asked, skeptically. "Where on Earth are you from?"

-----

"So was there an android #17 and #18 in your dimension?" Dusk and Noon were sat on the edge of the arena floor, why and how they arrived there explained and understood. Seru stood by Dusk listening to them, and Trunks was sat on a rock fairly far away from them, attempting to sort out his time-traveling device.

"Yes we had them, but they were absorbed by Cell."

"Cell absorbed the other androids?"

"That's what Dr. Gero created Cell to do. He absorbed thousands of innocent people to gather the strength enough to get #17. He needed the androids to become complete. Or 'perfect' as he and Gero called it."

"It sounds insane. Gero sounds like a lunatic." Seru stated simply.

"He was, I think…So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What's the deal? You said Gero created you to take down Kakkarot and the others?"

"Yes. And to protect those who wish to do the same."

"So that would be me." Dusk sounded a little sad.

"Just you?" She nodded. "Are you two alone?"

"Yes." Seru uncrossed his arms and sat down next to Dusk. "There is no-one else."

They sat in silence for a while, as Noon thought about the situation. She and Trunks were stuck in a bizarre alternate dimension, where she didn't even exist. What she was finding harder to believe, though, was a) this version of Cell appeared human and good-natured and b) Dusk was kinder, gentle and seemingly naïve. She was the sister that Noon had no idea she could ever have, and Seru was the part of Cell she always knew existed. What wasn't so great about their world, however, was Kakkarot and the others.

"They are pathetic." Seru had told her. "They think that if they attack me at once, they'll beat me."

It was a silly concept, and Noon wasn't sure if he was telling the entire truth about the Saiyan's ways. Dusk seemed rather on edge, too.

"So if you knew who I was when you arrived, then you must know me back in your dimension."

Noon wondered how long it would be before this would come up. "Yeah, that's right."

"So…what am I like? What do I do?" She paused to think for a moment. "Wait…if Cell's a bad guy…does that mean I am, too? I mean…I'm not, am I?" Noon could hear the pleading in her voice.

Trunks came over to them, obviously feeling very irritated that his watch wouldn't work. "She's worse!" He wasn't about to be tactful, he was far too wound up. "She's an awful, nasty, jealous woman who left her sister blind and dying, and I can't begin to explain the torture she made Noon endure!"

Seru had stood up, alarmed, and Dusk's mouth was wide open, horrified. Noon couldn't bear to do anything but look down at her feet.

"Is that true?"

Noon looked vaguely up at Seru. "Yes. It is."

"It…it can't be."

"It is, and don't you dare think that you two can fool me."

"Trunks! Will you _stop_?! They aren't the people we know. They are much better than that, and I trust them." She was stood between Trunks and Seru, whose teeth were bared. "They've had to endure just as much as we have. They have to cope with a much worse version of you, too! Now just calm yourself down. _Please_." Trunks closed his open mouth, and slowly turned to walk away. He sat down on a different rock, and started tinkering with his watch again. Seru stared after him, before turning his gaze onto a strained looking Noon.

"How long have you been blind?"

"Seven or eight years now." She answered quietly.

"What's…the deal…with that?" Dusk asked, out of breath from shock.

"I died a long time ago." She told her. Dusk turned towards her fully, ready for what seemed to be a big story. "Killed, destroyed by a creature named Majin Buu. After spending eight thousand years dead, I woke up without a clue as to who I was, where I came from, what had happened and even _what_ I _was_."

Dusk sighed with disappointment. "I…er…thought…or hoped, should I say…that you might know some of that…"

"Do you not know, either?" Noon was almost close to laughing now, she so sick of it all.

"No…I died a long time ago, like you. I woke up on a planet named Plant, without a clue as to why I was there and who exactly I was."

"Did a dragon come to visit?"

"Erm…no…" She sounded freaked out. "Should a dragon have visited?"

Noon wasn't very surprised by this. She knew that she and this version of Dusk were not going to have led the same lives. For a start, she wasn't blind.

"No, not really, but one came to me. As far as I now know, my sister and this dragon were in cahoots somehow. He told me that I would die in a way "I deserved". Or so he said. From there, I served a couple of armies, escaped from Frieza and helped Goku on his way."

"That's…weird." Noon could tell from Dusk's voice that she was telling the truth.

"You're not kidding." Noon jumped slightly. She had forgotten Seru was there, listening. "We have a Frieza here, too."

"Is he a conniving lizard? And his father, too?"

"Well, I'd say he's pretty sneaky, but calling him a lizard may be taking it too far. And his father? No, King Kold is one of the greatest warriors in the universe."

Noon sweatdropped. "That's way too weird."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what you've just said to us is completely bizarre. I served one army, yes, but I barely saw Frieza until fairly recently, and I met Kakkarot about twelve years ago when I first came to Earth."

"So…which army did you serve?"

"King Kold's. He picked me up on Planet Plant by complete coincidence, before I found him a wife and became his commander."

"Go on…" Noon wanted to know where things went differently.

"Well, Chill had Frieza, didn't she? And when the bastard was old enough he formed an Empire of his own, leaving his mother and father to defend planets against their own son."

"So Chill's still alive, and she and Kold are good guys?"

"Yeah, of course."

Noon knew that _this_ was the weird dimension. It had to be.

"So then what?"

"I served the army for many years, and then traveled to Earth to investigate a few massive power levels as a last order from Kold. That's where I met the Saiyans for the first time."

"And Seru?"

"No, I had to cope without 'Ru for a few years before android 17 and 18 showed up. When they and Gero were destroyed, I set out to his lab to see what I could find. To cut a long story short, I ended up with him." She nodded her head towards the man next to her with a playful smirk on her face, which he returned with a handsome smile. Noon cleared her throat in the sudden silence, and Dusk seemed to drop back down to Earth.

"So…er…do you two spend a lot of time together?"

"All the time." Seru answered without hesitation. "We're lovers." He added casually.

Both Noon and Dusk went scarlet, almost losing their perched position on the edge of the arena. Somewhere in the distance, Trunks lost his balance.

"You're _what_?!" Noon was wide eyed.

"What's the matter?" He crossed his arms. Then said with a somewhat amused tone; "You were bound to find out at some point."

"_Seru_! That's my _sister_! She doesn't want to know that!"

"No, no, tell it like it is." She flailed her arms, before resting her head in one hand. "You're more open than Cell was, anyway." She sighed sadly.

Putting her embarrassment behind her, she lent over to face Noon. "What's wrong, Noon? Cell obviously upset you in some way, didn't he?"

"He got to me, put it that way…" She paused for a long time, looking towards her sister's worried face. Having only known her for an hour, she knew she could trust her; "…We…er…spent some time together."

Seru raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's not what you're thinking…" She said quickly. "It's just…"

"I don't think we should be talking about this right now." Trunks had reappeared at the scene.

"No, you're right, Trunks. Sorry Dusk…" She looked at the android; "Sorry Seru."

"So what happened after you sent Goku to Earth?" Dusk asked, covering the subject. There was a tense atmosphere in the air.

"Planet Vegeta was destroyed by Frieza…" (Dusk was nodding with agreement) "And I traveled to Earth _with _the two remaining Saiyans to Earth. That's where I met Gohan and the others."

"Kakkarot's son Gohan?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just wondering, since there are two, that's all."

"Kakkarot's Grandfather…?"

"Is still alive, before you ask. And bad, too, before you ask that."

Noon whistled. "Oh-Kay. Well, from there I met a dragon named Daisy."

"Another dragon?"

"Another dragon. Who then died giving birth to a good friend of mine." She stopped for a moment, happy memories of Kibito, and especially Pukka floating back to her. "…Anyway, before the androids-the bad androids-came, I went blind, as Trunks had warned me about. Trunks coming from our future, and all."

"The future? The Trunks here didn't come from the future, but he's different."

"How is that possible?" Trunks asked curiously.

"No idea." She replied simply. "Then what?" She asked Noon.

"Then I met Cell…and then, I survived, and Cell was destroyed by Gohan. Now, somehow, seven years later, we're here."

"Kami, that's confusing." Dusk admitted, truthfully.

"That's the quick and easy explanation. I'm sure other things crop up the more time we spend here. How long is that gonna be, Trunks?"

"Beat's me." He said, though he seemed to have calmed down.

"That sounds as though it could be a while." Said Seru, in a bored-sounding way. Then, catching a look from Dusk, he added; "You should come with us. We have a place where we stay."

"Where is-?"

Noon didn't get to finish the sentence, as a terrible feeling swept over her. It made her eyes begin to water and her stomach feel as though it was being ripped apart. Her heart pounded wildly at the huge noise that sounded many miles away, yet that seemed so close. And her mouth went dry as she recognized the horrendous energy signal as Goku's. It was Kakkarot.

Judging by the look on both Seru and Dusk's faces, something pretty bad had happened. But whereas Dusk looked shocked and confused, Seru had his teeth bared angrily, as though he knew exactly what was going on.

"So that's it, is it?" He appeared to ask nobody. "The arena's just an elaborate stage, isn't it? To draw in your little puppet while you attack. How very _honorable_." The amount of seething sarcasm in his voice was frightening, and Noon had no idea what was going on, _or _what he'd just said meant. She got the feeling she'd find out, though. "Well she wasn't there, was she? Fools, you think I'd let you get her that easily?" Dusk suddenly looked scared, and Noon pulled a face between confusion and fear. Seru turned to her, his body tense. "You want to know where we live? You just felt it disappear."


End file.
